Date a density
by davido747
Summary: Without knowing how, and with fuzzy and confusing memories, King of Fakers ends up in a world quite different from his. Now, the EX rank density is facing something he never imagined. A pretty dominant little sister, and having to go on dates with girls who have powers at the level of a heroic spirit to save them. His luck is still E rank.
1. Prologue: new world

**See you again, people! I couldn't help it. With so many ideas for a story with King of Fakers in my mind, I ended up writing the beginning of this one as well. But don't worry, I won't abandon the other story I started recently. In fact, the second chapter will be being updated at the same time as I publish this. This will be more of a long-term project.**

**For new people who haven't read any of my previous stories, King of Fakers is an 'OC' I created myself. His background is narrated in my first story "_King of Fakers: Saving them all"_. I recommend you read it if you want to understand the character's decisions, thoughts and powers. If you'd rather just read this story, what you have to bear in mind is that King of Fakers would basically be an alternative version of Emiya Shirou, but they're not exactly the same person. Both exist as different entities, but very similar.**

**Also, for this story, this King of Fakers comes from an alternate ending of my second story "_Fate/ Stay Night: King of Fakers' route."_ I won't go into details because that would involve a spoiler like a piano, and you might want to read the story. Anyway, there are references to that story in this chapter, but they doesn't have spoilers either.**

**As for how King of Fakers came into the Date to Live universe, that will be revealed later. The grace of the original story is that the origin of Shidou is not explained until much later, so I will do the same. But don't worry, although I haven't reached that point in the novels yet, but I decided to take on the spoilers and investigate. I already have everything more or less organized, but it won't be very complicated either.**

**Without more to say, let this new story begin.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, Fate Franchise and Date a Live series.**

* * *

It was 5 o'clock in the morning of one day like any other. My internal clock made me wake up suddenly. My body practically rose up by itself, sitting on the bed and forming a straight angle.

I was in my modest room. The room was not very spacious, but it was not a tight place either. The walls were light brown and the floor was made of wood.

My bed was built into a corner, with a window on the side and another window on the back. With the time it was at the moment, hardly any light came in. Next to it was a simple desk with several drawers. On top of this was a lamp, several textbooks, and a rather futuristic computer.

Right next to the desk was a bookcase full of more textbooks, and some sleeves. On the other side of the room was the closet where I kept my clothes.

I rubbed my eyes with my hands to finish peeling and I set out to do my morning routine.

I silently went down to the ground floor of the house and entered the bathroom. I washed my face with cold water to finish waking up completely.

When I raised my head, what greeted me in the mirror wasn't the familiar image of a tall man with tanned skin, steel grey eyes and white hair. On the contrary, what I saw was a teenager with light skin, ochre-colored eyes that looked golden, and auburn hair.

To this day, I am still surprised to have my original appearance, before the excessive use of tracing changed it.

In fact, I keep wondering, why the hell do I have a physical body again and find myself in modern Japan.

I know that before I got here several years before the corrent date, I was fighting in the Fifth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki. My last memories are that my legs failed and I ended up being dragged into the hole of the Holy Grail along with Gilgamesh.

From there, everything is blurred. I know that somehow, I was born again, a situation in my opinion quite absurd, although I have seen very strange things during my previous life.

The memories of my childhood in this 'new life', for some reason are gone. Something extremely ironic considering that was the same case in my previous life. Still, at least I know that in my first life, that was caused by that hell. But in this, the memories just weren't there. It was, like, somebody erased them.

It might seem like I'm paranoid, and that's partially true, but knowing that there are magecrafts that can alter a person's memory, the theory is quite plausible.

Anyway, my first memories are of being adopted by the Itsuka family, after supposedly being abandoned by my birth mother. And I say 'supposedly' because I have no memory of her, and I don't know if she even existed to begin with.

That brings us to my current identity. Itsuka Shido, a seemingly normal teenager who attends of high school in this city, Tenguu City.

I didn't have a lot of conflicts with that. It's not like I remember my original name.

I went back to my room on the first floor and started doing simple exercises. Nothing intense, just several sets of push-ups, chin-ups and squats. The same exercise routine I did in my previous life. My intention was to keep my body in shape, without being extremely muscular.

The house was in complete silence. That would be normal at this hour, everyone else is still asleep, but that had another explanation. For some strange reason, since a few years ago, my current parents began to make many business trips, leaving the house for long periods of time.

At first I thought it was a coincidence, but when it started to happen again and again, I became suspicious. I know that in my previous life, my only family was that man who rescued me from the fire, from whom I sadly don't remember his name, and I was completely alone most of the time. But, even so, I know that that wasn't normal. What kind of parents leave their children alone for long periods of time, without these being adults?

Just yesterday, they left on another one of their trips, leaving me and my sister alone, again.

Yes, you heard right. I actually have a little sister, even if it's hard to believe. That was really something I never expected. It was a strange feeling, but I don't dislike it at all.

Her name is Itsuka Kotori. She is a 13-year-old girl with long red hair, usually tied up in a pair of twin ponytails, and red eyes. She is quite sweet, although a little afraid at times.

Due to the continuous departures of our parents, it is my duty to take care of her. After living with her for so long, I know that, if I do have a choice between saving her, or saving a group of strangers, I would choose her without hesitation. Although, I will not allow that. My goal is, and will always be, to save everyone.

It doesn't matter if it's another life or when I find myself, my dream won't change.

I finished my exercises. Although I wasn't getting tired, my body had started to sweat. I still had time, so I went back to the bathroom to take a quick bath.

Bathing was not something a did plenty of times in my previous life, but here in Japan it's practically considered one of the pleasures of life. I won't deny that it is quite relaxing.

After I finished showering, I left my pajamas in the laundry basket and switched to my school uniform. Today was the end of my vacation and I was starting my second year of high school at Raizen High School. Well, I'd gotten up at the same time even if it was a vacation.

I went to the kitchen to start preparing breakfast. Yes, I, cooking in a modern kitchen. My cooking sucks compared to Emiya Shirou's, but with practice I was able to prepare decent dishes. Again, I had to learn how to cook so Kotori and I wouldn't starve, or at least we wouldn't have to live on instant food.

The world I was in was similar to my previous world, but there were several differences. As for the overall story, it was very similar with some differences here and there, such as, for example, that no matter how much I looked at that thing called Internet, I could not find the existence of a city called Fuyuki.

As for the 'moon-lit world', that is where the weird things begin. I'm just a third rate magus, rather, a simple spellcaster or a Faker, even if in that I'm considered the King, and my information about the Magus Association may be quite outdated. Still, as much as I tried to pull the strings I knew to get their attention, I didn't get any results.

I didn't do anything crazy like show my magecraft in public either. The last thing I need is a bunch of church executioners and enforcers behind my current family and me.

It was really weird. They either hid even more from society, or they actually didn't exist in this world.

I inspected the entire city I live in, and I can tell that the only person with magical circuits that inhabits it is me. My reality marble also remained intact, although that was to be expected as it's the representation of my soul.

The only person I noticed had anything out of the ordinary was...

"Good morning, Onii-chan!"

My spiral of thoughts was interrupted by a voice full of energy. I turned to look in the direction I was coming from and met my little sister who had just entered the living room.

She was already dressed in her school uniform, and wore her typical white ribbons to tie her twin tails. In the morning and she already had a radiant smile on her face, contrary to my usual stoic expression.

With such a view, I couldn't help but show a smile. "Good morning, Kotori. Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."

"Hi!"

After her cheerful response, she sat on the sofa and turned on the television. The program that was being broadcast was talking about a spacequake just outside Tenguu city, the city where we live.

Spacequakes, strange phenomena that occur throughout the world and completely destroy the place where they happen. They are so called because it is space itself that is shaken. That would be the other reason why things in this world are so different from my previous world.

Thirty years ago in central Eurasia, the first spacequake occurred, the largest to date. The victims were countless, and the world was shaken by tragedy.

From there, more smaller-scale spacequakes began to take place all over the world, most often in Japan. Twenty-five years ago, the area we live in was wiped out by one of these phenomena. After that, the incidents were kept to a mínimum, and the city could be rebuilt and repopulated.

Governments and self-defense forces managed to develop systems to predict spacequakes, and victims have been reduced to almost none.

However, lately, this type of news has become very frequent again.

"Haven't a lot of them happened lately?" I asked Kotori to lighten the mood a bit.

"It seems so." For a moment, my sister's cheerful attitude changed to a serious one.

It wasn't the first time she did it. They were small slips that a normal person would not notice. Until now I decided to let it go, I assumed that grim news like that one worsened her mood.

I turned off the stove. Breakfast was ready.

I silently approached Kotori and positioned myself beside her. She was so engrossed in television that she didn't even notice. Her expression had a frown, and it was no wonder. Images of the crater left by the spacequake were displayed on the television screen. The destruction was easily on the level of a anti-fortress noble phantasm.

My eyes settled on the object in her mouth. Her favorite food, a lollipop. With a quick and precise movement, I grabbed the lolipop's stick and pulled it out of her mouth.

"Eh?" Well... maybe I overdid it a little. It took her a few moments to realize that her precious lollipop was in my hand. "Give it back, Onii-chan!"

She desperately tried to reach it, but because of the difference in height between us, I just had to raise my arm so she wouldn't reach it.

"How many times have I told you not to eat a lolipop before breakfast? It will take away your hunger, and with so much sugar, you'll end up getting cavities."

Seeing that she couldn't take it back from me, she changed tactics. "Please... Onii-chan..." She used her most powerful weapon, the sad puppy eyes.

I tried to resist it, but it was useless. She was too cute.

After I let out a heavy sigh, I ended up giving Kotori the lollipop back. "Fine, but you have to eat breakfast without leaving anything."

Her expression instantly turned into one of total happiness. "Yay! I love you, Onii-chan!"

Seeing that at least her smile returned, I know it was worth it.

After the table was set, we both began to have breakfast. I had trouble diverting my attention from Kotori. For a few years, I could feel a subtle bond between the two of us. And no, I don't mean the bond of a mere pair of normal siblings, but a real bond, similar to the bond I had with Rin because of our master-servant contract.

It's very subtle, and it's almost hard to feel, but it's there. Already, I noticed that since this bond was formed, Kotori generated a lot of energy, or more espcific, 'od' as the magus called it in my previous world. Her od reserves were far superior to those of an average magus at this age, I would even say they matched Rin reserves, whitout taking into account her crest.

A small but steady flow of magical energy was traveling into my body through the bond, which was quite strange. Having a living body again, I no longer needed a constant source of magical energy to exist.

It was all very strange. I remember this started five years ago, when Kotori and I were involved in a fire that devastated the area where we lived. For some reason, my memories of that day are blurred. How ironic, again.

Anyway, she doesn't seem to know about this, so I decided not to investigate anymore. I didn't want to involve her in the 'moon-lit world'. I wanted her to have a peaceful and happy life.

"Is there anything in particular you want for lunch?" Since today was the first day of school, we'd only have introductions, so we'd be free by lunchtime.

Kotori jumped out of her chair and raised her arms upwards. "A luxurious meal for children!"

I couldn't help raising an eyebrow. She seemed very excited about the idea. "That's only avaliable in a restaurant. Why do you want to eat out of the house today?"

"Because I want to. Please! Please! Onii-chan." She put her hands together and put on her innocent expression, as she winked at me.

I sighed again and accepted. It's not that we were badly budgeted. We could afford a little too much now and then.

We finished breakfast and left home to go to our respective schools. On the way, Kotori was practically jumping for joy. She was really excited. That somehow made me happy.

In the middle of the journey, we stopped at the restaurant we chose in which have lunch today.

"I'm so happy. Thank you for bringing me here, Onii-chan. I'll see you here after school, okay?"

"I understand."

"I repeat it! You must keep your promise! Even if terrorists take the restaurant, you must come!"

That was unlikely, although if it were to happen, I would come myself to resolve the situation. A few mysterious arrows can come through the window and knock out the terrorists.

"If that happens, I doubt there's anything to eat. But, I promise you. I will come with you after school". As I made my promise, I put my hand on her head and stroked her hair.

She closed her eyes and smiled as she let her hair revolve. As I finished, she turned and ran towards her school. She jumped and turned to look at me for the last time as she raised her hand to say goodbye.

"It's a promise! You have to come, even if a spacequake happens!"

"Yes I know. You must go or you will be late on your first day."

After saying goodbye to Kotori, I started my lonely walk to school. You're probably wondering why I go to school. Normally I'd be traveling the world by now to save people from spacequakes, but this time, I had a home and a family.

Because of our parents' constant travels, I promised myself that I would take care of Kotori until she could become independent. In addition, although I retained the basic knowledge provided by the Grail, going to school and expanding that knowledge is appreciated.

At the moment, thanks to technological advances, victims of spacequakes are something you rarely see, so I'm not in a hurry. What I would like to investigate is how the government manages to restore the damaged areas in just one day. Even if they try to cover it up, such a feat is impossible by mundane means. If I want to find the first hints that magecraft also exists in this world, that's the only clue I have right now.

For the rest of the way, I felt someone watching me. I must admit that whoever it was, they were pretty good. Even when I limited myself to looking sideways, I could barely see their sneaky silhouette.

I didn't give it much thought as I didn't feel any malicious intent.

Throughout my school life, I never bothered to make many friends. Whenever someone asked me, I helped him, of course, but my relationship with the other students ended there. Socializing has never been my strong point. It's not that I avoided others, I just didn't get intimate with them.

"Oh look. Isn't that the Fake Janitor?" I heard a group of students talking in the background.

Although it may seem like a joke, because I always help others when they ask me to, I ended up getting the same nickname that, according to Rin, Emiya Shirou got in high school. I can't help it, we're both really alike.

I was far from popular at school, but I guess I ended up getting a reputation.

"Good morning, Itsuka."

I turned to the voice that pronounced my last name. Right in front of my desk was one of the few people, if not the only one, who approached me. You could say we were friends. Hiroto Tonomachi, he was a boy with black hair combed up and brown eyes.

Despite his rather extroverted personality, he for some reason has as few relationships with other students as I do.

"Oh. Good morning, Tonomachi."

"I see that you are as serious as always. Being once again in your class, makes me believe that we are meant to be together."

I smiled ironically at his bizarre comment. "You really think so?"

He lifted a finger, and it looked like he was going to give me another one of his strange lectures, but the sound of his mobile phone interrupted him.

"Oh, excuse me. It's my girlfriend." He pulled out her phone and started touching it.

"Your girlfriend, huh..." That subject had crossed my mind a few times. In my previous life, I didn't even know that concept existed. After the lecture on what was a date given to me by Rin, those concepts were not strange to me, but they still were alien to me.

Now, as a teenager full of hormones, I won't deny that the opposite sex attracts me a little, but I still don't give it much thought. After all, who would fall in love with someone like me?

"Wait, since when do you have a girlfriend?"

"Let me show you. Look." After saying that, he showed me the screen of his phone, or rather put it inches from my face.

Instead of seeing a picture of a girl of our age, what I saw was the cover of a video game. In it was a girl who looked very disturbingly like Kotori, and a sign that said 'touch me'.

"Isn't that a dating simulator?"

"A girlfriend is a girlfriend. So stop criticizing so much! These games teach you everything you need to interact with a girl! They are practically dating books. This 'Fall in love: My little Seed' is in real time and it is especially-"

"Itsuka Shido." His speech was interrupted by a third voice.

A pity, his speech had attracted me with the idea that those games would help me understand the girls better. To this day, even after living several years with Kotori, I still don't understand those strange reactions that Rin had from time to time.

The voice came from a girl standing a few meters from us, next to the desk next to me. She had white hair down to her shoulders, and blue eyes. I had to admit she was quite beautiful.

The weird thing is, as I recall, she and I didn't know each other. Or at least, I didn't know her.

"Me?" I asked her pointing at me. There was still a chance that I'd heard wrong. However, she was staring at me.

"Yes." Her short answer confirmed that it was me she was referring to.

"Do we know each other?"

"You don't remember?" She answered my question with another question, in a flat tone.

That left me with even more questions. I know that my memory since my time in this world has many gaps, but I would remember a person that stands out like her.

After a few seconds of silence, she broke eye contact and sat at her desk without saying anything else.

"Do you know her, Tonomachi?" Since she wasn't going to talk anymore, I decided to ask Tonomachi.

"You're kidding, right? You're telling me you don't know who Tobiichi Origami, the super genius, is?

"Tobiichi Origami?" The name didn't ring a bell. You could say that I've helped all the people in this school with something, but I don't remember interacting with this girl. How odd.

"She has the highest marks of our year, including physical education. And above all, she's really cute. She was in third place in the 'Top Most Wanted Girlfriends – top thirteen' last year. Didn't you see it?"

"I didn't even know it existed until a few seconds ago. And besides, why thirteen? Is it a random number?"

"That's because the girl who organized it was in 13th place."

"Aaah..." I couldn't help but sweat at the direction the conversation was taking. Even weirder was that the girl in question completely ignored our conversation and continued to read her book.

"By the way, the 'most desired boyfriend ranking' goes up to 385."

"So many!? The bottom is closer to the worst ranking, isn't it? The organizer decided that too?"

"Ahh. He really didn't know how to give up."

I rolled my eyes at his answer. "Tonomachi, what place did you get in?"

"The 385th."

I resisted as I could bring my hand to my face. "So it was you who organized it. I don't know why, but I expected it."

"The reasons I got that place were 'his passion seems to be too strong', 'he seems to be hairy', and 'his toenails seem to smell'."

"No matter how you look at it, that's the worst rating."

"Well, underneath that are the people who didn't get any vote. At least with the negative votes I managed to win in that category."

I couldn't resist any longer and I palmed my face. "With a place like that, it would have been better if you had give up."

"Don't worry Itsuka. You were registered under your nickname, 'Fake Janitor'. You got enough votes and 10th place." Although his voice sounded happy, I could see comic tears in his eyes.

"Since when is that like that? That must be an exaggeration."

He ignored my question and continued with his speech. "Damn handsome. All comments were 'very handsome and helpful, although he is a bit distant' or something like that."

After a few moments, Tonomachi managed to overcome his existential crisis and returned to the main topic.

"Anyway, she is certainly someone very famous. Why does Tobiichi know you?" He asked me with a suspicious face.

"That's what I'd like to know."

The bell rang announcing the beginning of the class and all the students sat at their desks. The conversation ended there, and I looked away from the mysterious girl to look ahead.

Through the door entered a woman of short stature with short brown hair, eyes of the same color and glasses.

"Oh, it's Tama-chan." I heard one of my classmates call her by her nickname. She was, in fact, the same teacher we had last year.

"Good morning. I will be your teacher this year. My name is Okamine Tamae." She introduced herself with a cheerful smile.

The class began to applaud her for some reason, and I was drawn to it. Amid the applause, I noticed a look at me. I turned around and saw Tobiichi staring at me again.

I raised an eyebrow, but she kept looking at me quietly. The situation was very strange.

What does she want from me?

* * *

The presentations were over, and all the students began to leave the classroom. Tonomachi rose from his desk and turned to look at me.

"Itsuka, let's go home together."

"I'm sorry, I already have plans today."

"Oh? With a girl?"

"You could say yes, even though it's with Kotori."

"I know. From my research, I have concluded that no girl would want to have lunch with you." That was quite hard on his part, but he was right nonetheless.

Although, oddly enough, the moment Tonomachi said that, I could see from the corner of my eye that Tobiichi reacted. It was very subtle. Any normal person would have overlooked it.

Before I could respond, a shrill alarm rang throughout the building.

_"This is not a simulation, please go to the nearest shelter. I repeat, a spacequake has been detected in the area."_

My face went to an extremely serious one and I got up from the desk at once. This was the first time this had happened while I was at school.

Tonomachi looked at me somewhat in surprise, but we immediately headed for the shelter that was in this school.

The students were running in panic down the hall. Okame-sensei, who was at the shelter door, was desperately trying to keep the situation in check.

"Calm down! Don't forget the three rules! One row, firm, and orderly!"

I ignored the environment around me as I lined up to enter the shelter. My current concern was Kotori. I was hoping she could also enter one of the many shelters in the city.

I decided to call her on my cell phone just in case, but she didn't answer. The worry started growing inside me. I know it could just be coincidence, but her words this morning resonated in my mind. _"You have to come, even if a spacequake happens!"_

As a last resort, I decided to check where she was by looking at the location of her mobile phone using GPS.

My eyes widened when I saw her location. It was the worst case. She was at the restaurant where we agreed to have lunch, and according to the app I was using, the spacequake was going to happen right there.

My body moved on its own. I stepped out of the queue and rushed towards the exit of the building, ignoring Okame-sensei's warnings.

I didn't care if someone saw me running at inhuman speed. The only thought in my head was that I had to save her.

I seemed to meet Tobiichi on the way, who was going in the opposite direction of the shelter, but I also ignored her.

My little sister. For someone who had never had loved ones and had always been alone, suddenly having a younger sister was shocking, for lack of a better term. After living with her for so many years, if I were asked who was the most important person in the world for me right now, without a moment's hesitation, I'd say Kotori without doubt.

I promised myself I'd take care of her, and protect her smile. I don't care if it's one of those absurd spacequakes, or if I meet the King of Heroes again, I'm gonna save her!

The streets of Tenguu City were now completely empty and without any sign of people living here. All the electronic signs in the city showed warning signs and danger.

"Trace on!" This worked in my favor. With no one in sight to witness it, I pumped magical energy into my legs and reinforced them to the limit. I became a blur that swept the streets at immense speed. Every time my feet hit the ground, I could see how small cracks formed.

I could already see the restaurant, it was just one street away. I increased the pace even more. I didn't care if my muscles were torn apart

Still, I didn't get there in time.

In front of me occurred the phenomenon known as spacequake. Space itself trembled and became distorted. The buildings and the road in front of me were completely obliterated.

"Guh!" I covered myself as best I could and reinforced my whole body and clothes in the face of the imminent rain of debris. I managed to get out practically unscathed, with some parts of the uniform torn and a couple of bruises.

"Kotori!" Without wasting time, I advanced through the rubble. I had to find her.

I reached the center of the explosion. There was no more debris from the buildings that existed a few moments ago, there was simply a large crater. The whole place was filled with residual energy.

I scanned the entire area with my reinforced eyes. I found no trace of my sister, but I found something unexpected in the center of the crater.

There was a sort of throne there, with what looked like a hilt of a sword sticking out of it. At its feet was a girl with long purple hair and indigo eyes. She was wearing a black and purple medieval-style armor, and underneath was a sort of membrane made of pure energy.

Her aura gave off majesty, and above all, power. An immense raw power. It seemed like I was back next to Saber after she had access to her full potential. That, along with her supernatural beauty, screamed inhuman.

Our eyes met. Her stoic expression passed into a deadly serious and her hand landed on the hilt that sticked out of the throne. She pulled it and drew a large sword. Its blade was wide and white, with a crystalline edge and blue lines that throbbed with power.

My structural grasp went into action, revealing the name of the weapon and its nature. Sandalphon, Massacre Ruler. Its existence was strange, similar to that of a noble phantasm, but at the same time different. It had no legend behind it, but it had a great conceptual weight. The sword could channel the enormous magical energy of its wielder and fire it, similar to noble phantams like Excalibur or Merodach.

However, the strangest thing was its owner. The sword had combat experience, but there was no information about the girl wielding it. She seemed to be a nameless entity, like me.

I had no more time to analyze her sword. The sheer amount of murderous intent that was pointed at me was the first warning I had.

The mysterious girl swung her sword horizontally in my direction. My instincts, polished in countless battles, warned me of immense danger, and my reflexes made me duck quickly.

A rainbow light beam passed at high speed through where my neck had been less than a second ago. I heard a sound of impact behind me, and I saw sideways as the top of the building behind me collapsed to one side.

The attack had cut it clean, and that would have happened to my head if I hadn't ducked.

The entity quickly crossed the distance between us and threw me a diagonal swing with her sword. She intended to cut me in half from my right shoulder to my left hip.

But, the strangest thing of all was the face she was putting on while she was doing it.

"Trace on!" I traced Kanshou as fast as I could in my left hand and swung it with all my might in a motion opposite to hers.

Both blades clashed violently and sparks flew. Her attack was stopped, and she backed away in surprise. Despite the huge difference in size, the married sword resisted only with a scratch. As expected from a C-rank noble phantasm.

Still, I could feel her enormous strength in my arm. If it wasn't reinforced, my muscles would have torn and my bones would have splintered.

She put herself in a defensive position, though she wasn't using a conventional sword style. I stayed in the same place without moving, with a relaxed posture but ready to move into action quickly.

"Have you also come to kill me?" The mysterious girl spoke for the first time. Her voice was charming.

However, the question was strange. She was the first to try to kill me, and now she's asking me if I came to kill her?

"No. I just came to find my sister. I don't like killing people." I answered her in a flat tone just like her.

"Liar. You are wielding a sword. "

"This is for self-defense. You were the first to attack me. If I leave my weapon, will you give up hostilities?" I tried my luck while letting Kanshou dissipate.

It was just a symbolic gesture. The moment she decided to resume the fight, I could immediately project a pair of married swords.

She squinted, but made no move. She seemed to be analyzing me carefully.

Now that I was looking better, she seemed tired. Not physically, but mentally.

The tense moment was suddenly cut off when we both felt several presences just above us.

I turned quickly to look in their direction. What I saw was a group of people dressed in strange mechanical suits, flying a few feet above us.

From the weapons they were carrying in their hands, a lot of what I recognized as missiles went off in our direction.

I was about to jump off course, but I stopped when I saw that the girl didn't move or do anything. No, that wouldn't be wrong. The enormous power I could feel around her bursted outward.

The missiles hit the energy and were completely immobile in the middle of the air.

"This kind of thing is useless. Why don't they ever learn?" She spoke again, and this time, her voice was a little exasperated.

From what she said, it seemed this wasn't the first time this had happened. I suppose it's normal for her to be so hostile to humans if these people always tried to kill her when they saw her, without even stopping to try to reason.

She raised her free hand and closed it in a fist. The missiles squeezed and twisted until they exploded, and even the explosion compressed, making it almost harmless. A demonstration of the immense power of this being.

The people in the air had a brief moment of surprise, but resumed their attack immediately, firing even more missiles.

The mysterious girl simply sighed, putting on a sad face. It was the same face she made when she tried to cut me. That confirmed it. This girl didn't want to fight, she was forced to.

She was certainly far superior to flying people, and yet she seemed much more weak.

The situation was strange, in many ways. This was my first contact with the supernatural side of this world, and the questions in my head only multiplied.

"Disappear. Disappear alll... Just disappear!" She pumped a great deal of magical energy into her sword and swung it lazily in the direction of her enemy, unleashing the same sharp attack she used against me.

They hurried to the sides and dodged it.

I found myself quite confused. It was obvious that the flying people didn't stand a chance, and yet who seemed to need help was the girl next to me.

A beam of light was fired at her from a different angle. As expected, it bounced harmlessly against the enormous energy that came from the being.

I heard someone land near me. I turned to look at it, and I met the person I met today in high school.

"Tobiichi... Origami?"

She was wearing the same mechanical suit with thrusters on her back as the other flying people, and a strange gun in her hands. I guess that's what fired the beam of light.

I already felt that the girl had a mysterious aura around her, but I didn't expect this. Plus, now she was releasing some magical energy, which I couldn't perceive at school. That had something to do with that suit.

"Itsuka... Shidou?"

Despite being surprised to see me here from all places, her stoic face did not change.

There was no time to exchange more words. The mysterious girl swung her sword infuced with magical energy toward Tobiichi. She kicked the ground to dodge the attack, and hurled herself at her with inhuman speed.

In her hands appeared a laser sword, similar to those showing in some movies I saw with Kotori. Sandalphon and the laser sword clashed violently, causing a huge shock wave.

"Guh!" My reinforced body held out, but I still slipped back a few feet.

Tobiichi was effortlessly repelled by the mysterious girl, and they both stared at each other with sharp glances.

I was about to throw myself in to try to stop them, when my cell phone started ringing.

"What!?" That was the signal.

Both threw themselves at each other and collided again. Each clash between their blades produced a violent shock wave that prevented me from approaching.

It was obvious who was going to win.

The mysterious girl's fighting style was unorthodox, simply based on overwhelming her opponent with her immense power.

On the other hand, Tobiichi's fighting style indicated countless hours of training and effort.

She was giving it all of herself, but still, she couldn't land any attack on the being. In fact, the mysterious girl wasn't even trying.

I kept pushing against the immense energy that came from their fight. I didn't intend to stand by and watch them kill each other.

Then, something happened that, frankly, I couldn't understand. At one point I was in the middle of the destroyed street, and at the other I was in a room I hadn't see in my life.

The place where I 'appeared' looked like a futuristic-looking room, like the ones in the same movies where the lightsabers come out.

"Huh? Where the hell am I?" My confusion, which had been building up since I met the mysterious girl, was reaching limits that I didn't even think I had.

"Forget that. I have to come back-"

"I see that you didn't end up fainting." I was stopped by an indifferent, spaced voice.

I turned in her direction and met a woman in her 20s. Her hair was gray and messy, eyes decorated with thick dark circles, and she wore a military uniform.

"Who are you?" I put on an emotionless face and asked her in a serious tone.

Although I felt no hostility on her part, I decided not to let my guard down. I was in a completely unknown place, and the probability that I was surrounded was still present.

"I am the Analysis Officer here, Murasame Reine. There is no need to be alert. You're safe here."

"And where is 'here'?"

"You're in the hangar of Fraxinus. We brought you here because your life was in danger down there."

"Fraxinus...?" That was a name I'd never heard before

Even more questions came up in my head. Why does this organization, which is apparently involved with the 'moon-lit world', know about me and rescue me?

I had no time to waste. I had to go back to stop those two, and most of all, I had to look for Kotori.

She turned around in silence and began to walk slowly towards the hallway she had entered.

"Hey, wait! You still-" My sentence was cut off by her sleepy voice.

"Follow me. There's someone I want to introduce you to... I know you have a lot of questions, but I'm bad at explaining. If you want any details, you should ask that person."

Well, the premise that my questions would be answered was tempting.

I decided to follow her, remaining cautious at all times. Kanshou and Bakuya's blueprints were visualized in my mind just un case.

Murasame was staggering all the way. Her enormous lack of sleep was more than evident. In the end she stumbled and hit her head against the wall.

"Are you all right?" I went to check on her. She didn't fall down, and she stood on the wall moaning. The tension and seriousness of the moment vanished completely.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Recently I haven't been getting enough sleep."

"That's obvious. When was the last time you slept?"

She lifted three fingers. "Maybe about thirty years?"

"That's impossible!" I was speaking from experience. When I was alive, as much as I ignored fatigue and kept pushing my limit to save more people, at the end, the body started to fail.

30 years was an exaggeration. A week or two was already pushing it a lot, and besides, that amount of time exceeds her apparent age.

"Well, it's true that I can't remember the last time I slept. I have something like extreme insomnia."

"Is that so...?"

"Oh. Ahh, sorry, it's medicine time."

Murasame took out a box of pills, opened it and poured the contents into her mouth. It looked like she was drinking the pills. She finished swallowing the medication and put the box back in the pocket as if nothing unusual had happened.

"Do you know that dose can easily be fatal?"

"They're just sleeping pills, and they're not very effective either."

I couldn't help but sigh. If all the people in this organization are like this, then seriousness is conspicuous by its absence.

After going through several narrow corridors, we arrive at the place in question. We arrive at a metal door with an electronic panel next to it.

"Here we are..."

The next moment, a beep of the electronic device was heard and the door opened.

"Here, please enter..."

I resumed my serious front and did what she told me. What I found was a room that looked like a ship's bridge. In front of the door, the floor stretched out in the middle oval, and placed in its center, there was a chair that looked like the captain's seat.

In addition, after gently sloping stairs leading to a lower floor, crew members could be seen operating consoles with a futuristic look. The place was quite dark in general, highlighting the light emitted by the monitors of said consoles.

"I brought him..." Murame spoke to a man next to the captain's seat.

This one was tall, with long wavy blond hair, brown eyes, and wore the same military uniform as all present.

"Good job." The man bowed in a small bow, like a butler, and turned to look at me.

"Hello. I am the Vice Commander here. My name is Kannazuky Kyohei. I am pleased to meet you."

"The same here." I couldn't think of anything else to say at his courteous presentation.

Then Kannazuky turned and spoke to the person sitting in the chair, which I could not see.

"Commander, Analysis Officer Murasame has returned."

A grunt of a very familiar voice was heard, and the chair turned to me.

"I welcome you to Ratatoskr."

The so-called 'commander' greeted me with a lovely voice. She was a young figure wearing a crimson uniform on her shoulders. Her red hair was tied in a pair of twintails by two black ribbons, and in her mouth was a lolipop.

My earnest expression gradually shifted to one of enormous surprise.

"Kotori!?" No matter how you look at her, this person was my little sister.

My mind set off at full speed. She was apparently safe, which was a relief, but with this came more worries.

Had she been kidnapped and forced to work for this organization? Had she been brainwashed? Was this the equivalent of the Magus Association of this world and they already wanted to try to dissect us?

Every choice that passed through my mind was more ridiculous tan the previous, but my confused mind assumed the worst.

I tensed myself completely. My body was reinforced and my hands opened, preparing to grab the hilts of the married swords I was about to trace.

In my state of maximum concentration, I didn't realize that some kind of alarm started ringing.

"Don't worry Kotori! Your brother is going to get you out of here-!"

I was interrupted by Kotori's alarmed voice. "Hey, hey, hold your horses Shidou! Calm down!"

I stopped in my tracks. The magical energy that was accumulating in my hands dispersed.

"What I feared. Don't listen to them Kotori! These people kidnapped and brainwashed you!"

"Stop saying nonsense, stupid brother with hero complex! No one has kidnapped me. I work here." Kotori replied with a vocabulary unfit for her.

I turned to look at the Vice Commander and pointed a little murder intent at him.

"Is that true?"

Instead of panicking, for some reason he made a face of pleasure. What the hell?

"Yes, she works here of her own free will, Shin." It was Murasame who answered.

After checking that there were no signs of deception in her words, I began to relax slowly, and my brain began to connect the dots.

"So, all the times you said you were going to a friend's house, you were actually doing this?"

"Wow, I see you're catching on fast. Yes, you're right."

"Do our parents know about this?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"It's not normal for parents to leave their children alone for so long. I was beginning to think about having a good chat with them, but I see that this is the reason."

Kotori looked at me with an indecipherable expression. "I didn't think you were so observant. Anyway, I'm sure you have a lot of questions. This commander will take the trouble to answer them."

With the situation calmed down, the alarms stopped ringing, and several crew members breathed a sigh of relief.

I felt ripped off. So many years trying to keep Kotori out of the 'moon-lit world', when in fact, she was already involved.

"Okay. First of all, what was that being?" My question had two intentions. Knowing what that mysterious girl was, and confirming whether Kotori, and this organization, knew about it.

"Oh, you mean the girl in armor, right?" With a snap of her fingers, one of the large monitors in the room showed a picture of the fight I witnessed a few moments ago.

"She is a Spirit."

"Spirit... as heroic spirit?" I tried my luck to see if the terminology of my previous world was applied in this one.

"I don't know what you're talking about. What I mean is that she's a being that didn't originally exist in this world. Just by appearing in this world, not by her own will or anything like that, the surrounding area is erased."

The first thing that came into my head was _'Kaleidoscope'_. But, as Counter Guardian, I have a basic understanding of how true magic works, and it doesn't involve destroying the area when you reach another parallel universe.

However, in her explanation there was another important fact.

"So, these spirits are the cause of the spacequakes?" I couldn't help but frown at the idea.

"Right. You were lucky, Shidou. If the scale of the explosion had been a little larger, you would have been blown up instantly. Anyway, why did you come out when the alarm was going off? Are you an idiot? Did you want to die?"

"I went to save you."

She blinked a couple of times. To make her understand my point, I showed her my mobile phone that still had the GPS app open.

"Ahh, that's why." To my surprise, she took her phone out of her pocket. But that was strange. If we are at this base of operations, why is its location still in front of the restaurant?

"I was wondering why you would do something so stupid, so it was this. How stupid do you think I am, silly brother?"

"But why does your cell phone signal keep dialing that it's in the restaurant?"

"That's because we're in front of the restaurant."

"Huh?"

"I guess showing it to you will be quicker than explaining it to you... turn off the filter."

It wasn't that they turned on some lights, rather, it was as if they were pulling away a dark curtain. The whole room was surrounded by blue sky.

It didn't take my brain very long to understand this.

"We're in the middle of the air?"

"That's right. This 'Fraxinus' is an airship. We are located 15000 meters above the Tenguu City, and, coincidentally, we are just above the restaurant."

Kotori crossed her arms and smiled. She seemed very proud of this airship.

"Then, could you explain to me why you're here? And what is this organization you work for?"

"That's not important right now. Going back to the main topic..." She avoided my question, which made me frown again, and pointed at the screen again. "Those people you see flying are the AST. A unit specialized in Spirits."

"So, their task is to try to kill them." That explained a lot of things, although I was worried that Kotori would talk about these issues without flinching.

"Right again. I see you're not as useless as I thought you would be. If you considered it normaly, they being dead would be the best thing for us."

I was familiar with that way of thinking. I applied it myself when I faced the dead apostles. But, there was a difference between them and the mysterious girl.

"So they chose the 'simple' solution, killing one to save the others. Have they ever bothered to try to dialogue with the Spirits?"

"Why do you ask? They are monsters. Just by appearing in this world they cause spacequakes. They are the deadliest and most evil poison!"

"Is that so? What I saw was a lonely girl who was tired of constantly fighting with the AST, and needed help. Also, you said it a few moments ago. They don't cause spacequakes of their own free will."

"That may be true. But the thing is, you can't leave an existence of the same level of danger as a nuclear bomb out there just because you felt sorry for it. Today ended only with a small explosion, but we are not sure that the next time it will be a disaster of the level of Eurasia."

"Still, killing them without trying anything else is wrong."

Kotori sighed at my insistence. I can't help it, I'm tired of situations like this.

"You only met her for a few minutes, and she almost killed you, but you're still standing by her side... Could it be that you fell in love with her?"

"I don't know why are you saying that, but I don't need any reason to help someone who needs it."

The whole room was silent. Even the crew stopped at what I was doing and looked at me with surprised faces. The only one who wasn't surprised was Kotori, who showed a smile, as if she was already waiting for this.

"Okay then. What other solution do you propose?"

I stopped to think about it for a few moments, but I could not find any other obvious solution. The situation was really delicate.

"Anyway... the first thing would be to try to talk to them even just once. From there, we'll see if they're really hostile or not."

"I see... Then, let us help you."

"Huh?" That answer took me by surprise. I thought she was going to reject my answer and call me crazy.

My sister opened her arms, as if to refer to the whole place. "I said, we will help you. All of Ratatoskr's power will go to support you, Shidou."

My mind was still processing the implications of that. I never expected an entire organization to support me in the selfish pursuit of my dream.

"Let me answer your previous question. Who we are. The ways of dealing with a Spirit are basically divided into two main methods." She paused briefly and lifted a finger. "The first is the approach that the AST is taking. The method of exterminating them through a power confrontation."

After that, she raised a second finger. "The other method is to talk to the Spirits. We are Ratatoskr, an organization created for the purpose of solving spacequakes without killing spirits, through conversation."

That was a relief. I now know that Kotori didn't get into any shady magus business. However, I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Couldn't you have started with that? If you wanted me to work with you, I would have accepted anyway."

"You've got the premise completely wrong. We don't want to recruit you. In first place, the organization called Ratatoskr was created for the sake of Shidou."

That alerted me. Did they already know about my condition as a magecraft user?

"Well, it might be more correct to say that it is an organization to lay the groundwork for Shidou's role in negotiations with the Spirits to solve the problem of spacequakes. Anyway, this organization wouldn't exist if Shidou didn't exist."

That explained things a little better, but it didn't alleviate my concerns.

"And why me, of all people?"

"Well, Shidou is special"

Upon hearing her answer, I began to sweat. It can't be, I practiced for not to neglect my skills with simple projections and reinforcement, things that are very disguised. And I always made sure that Kotori wasn't around.

Had they been watching me for some time? It was possible. They were 15,000 feet off the ground. Even reinforcing my eyes, I would hardly see a point in the sky.

"What do you mean by that?" I tried to stay calm, but it was really difficult.

"Oh, well, you'll understand the reason eventually. Isn't that good? I'm saying that we, all members and all our technology, will back your actions. Or... are you thinking of standing between the Spirits and the AST without preparing for anything? You're going to die, no doubt."

If I said that it didn't occur to me, I would be lying. However, that would be to be seen. I have come out of worse situations. If these spirits are at the level of the King of Heroes, or the Primate Murder, then we could say that humanity would had been screwed for a long time.

At least, her assumption that I will die immediately makes me think that she doesn't know my secret, or at least knows only the surface.

"So, for that method of conversation, what should be done in particular?"

"Making the Spirit fall in love." She responded in a proud tone.

….

My brain tried to process what she said and try to make sense of it, several times. But, it was imposible. It couldn't be computed.

"I'm sorry, I think I heard wrong. Could you repeat it?"

"Like I said, make friends with her, talk to her, flirt with her, go on a date with her, and make her fall head over heels."

I still didn't understand why that would solve the problem, and to make matters worse, her explanation was chillingly similar to how Rin explained to me what a date was.

"And why would that solve the problem of spacequakes?"

"If we want a solution for space earthquakes without using force, then we have to persuade the Spirits, right?"

"That seems right."

"For that, wouldn't it be quicker to make the Spirit like this world? 'Oh, this world is wonderful', if they become like that, then not even a Spirit would suddenly make a fuss."

"I see..."

"So, well, isn't it often said? That if you fall in love, then the world is beautiful... So go out with her, and make the Spirit fall in love with you!"

"I still can't find the logic to it. Besides, who would fall in love with someone like me?"

Listening to me, Kotori for some reason seemed angry. "What nonsense are you saying? How can they not fall in love with you, such a handsome and cool boy who is always helping others!?"

"Huh?" I didn't know how to react to that.

After a few seconds, Kotori seemed to process what he had just said, and her face turned as red as her hair.

"L-look what you make me say, stupid brother with low self-esteem! Forget it! What I mean is that you have no choice if you want to save them. Where did your earlier determination go?"

Well, she wasn't wrong, but... why choose someone whose social skills are so poor for this task. It's true that I'm the only one with the best chance of survival, but...

Heh, why am I hesitating? Since when have I cared about the chances of success?

"Fine. I'll do it."

"Very well. Looking at the data, the next time a Spirit shows up will be within a week. We will start training immediately tomorrow."

"Training?" I couldn't help but swallow noisily. It didn't help that Kotori's wicked smile looked like Rin's when she made fun of me or Shirou.

* * *

**And that's all so far. What did you think? I decided to write this because crossovers between Fate/Stay Nigth and Date a Live that are not abandoned can be counted on one hand, not to say a finger. So I decided to do it myself, referencing Thanos a little.**

**I've never written about romance, so it's time for King of Fakers to get into those things.**

**Now as for the chapter, as you may have noticed, what happened to King of Fakers, or now Itsuka Shidou, was the same thing that happened to Emiya Shirou of the Miyuverse. Having a little sister filled the void in his heart. However, the ideals of King of Fakers are so deeply rooted in his being that he did not abandon them. As he said himself, his goal will always be to save everyone.**

**As for the power scale, this King of Fakers will be a bit of a nerfed because his body is no longer that of a servant. But that will not prevent him from being on the level of the spirits. Besides, the protagonist here will not be so submissive. King of Fakers will get serious if he has to. On the other hand, I will keep the laws of both universes intact, but since this will mostly be written from the perspective of 'Shidou', the terms of Fateverse will be used mostly. From the perspective of the other characters, King of Fakers is an irregularity, like the Spirits.**

**And as for the description given by King of Fakers of Sandalphon, I know it's not entirely correct. Note that it is a description made after a quick look with structural grasp, before Tohka tried to cut him. I'm still not sure if Sandalphon can be replicated at Unlimited Blade Works. I'm inclined to think so. In Fate's terms, an Angel would be considered a conceptual weapon, and Rho Aias, which is also a conceptual weapon, could be replicated in the reality marble.**

**Still, prepare for the comic situations that will generate the EX rank density. Those who have read my previous stories will know what I mean. If you think Shidou and Shirou were dense, let me tell you that they're experts at dealing with women compared to King of Fakers.**

**Finally, I would like to know about your opinion. Any constructive review is welcome, as well as the follows, and motivates me to continue writing.**

**With this, I bid you farewell for now. Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 1: The training and a bumpy date

**See you again, people. I bring you the next chapter of this crossover. As you may have seen, this is the longest chapter I have ever written. This has a reason, and it is that, as anyone who has read the light novels of Date a Live or seen the anime will know, things do not really get serious until the third spirit. But, I'm not going to hit the fast-forward button and jump to that part either. The point is, this chapter covers the entire Tohka's arc. I apologize if there's not a lot of action or major changes in the plot, but until things get serious, the change in the protagonist doesn't influence as much. So, in this chapter I focused more on humor, that is, King of Fakers trying to seduce girls who are not the most normal.**

**Now, let's move on to the questions you left me in the reviews. As for Kotori ignoring the King of Fakers magecraft, let's call him Shidou from now on, that will only be at first. The cat will be out of the bag eventually, as I said, this Shidou is far from helpless, and he will not stand idly by while the spirits are being defeated. But why go into detail if Kotori herself is going to explain it to you in the first scene?**

**And as for Gilgamesh, at first I was having second thoughts about whether or not to include him in the story, and at the end I thought "eh, and why not?" So yes, our King of Heros will appear in this story soon, and I can bet it will be the way you least expect it.**

**Without further ado, let the chapter begin.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, Fate Franchise and Date a Live series.**

* * *

With the basic explanation completed, Shidou was taken to another room of Fraxinus for a more detailed explanation and to complete all the paperwork. As it turned out, the crew on the bridge returned to their duties as if nothing had happened.

His sister, Kotori, stared at the door through which he left with a different expression than her usual. Instead of the smug expression she used to put when she was in 'Commander mode', you could see some worrying trait.

"He took it better than we expected." Murasame Reine's voice, the Officer of Analysis, pulled her out of her stupor.

"You're right about that, but I was already expecting that he would end up accepting."

"Still, there was something a little off. A normal person would have been much more surprised to discover the existence of magic and spirits."

"Well, my brother was never a very normal person to begin with. You read his psychological report, right?"

"Of course. A huge psychological distortion that makes him put the happiness of others before his own, along with almost non-existent self-esteem. Shin is really a unique person. I can only imagine what happened to him to end up like this."

"Nn, he doesn't even seem to remember it. But anyway, he overreacted when we introduced ourselves. His spiritual powers were almost out of control."

"That was probably because he thought we had kidnapped you. And besides, I'm not so sure about his powers going out of control."

Kotori raised an eyebrow at the last thing Reine said, a gesture from her brother that she ended up imitating. In order to explain her point, Reine took a tablet-like device out of her robe and showed her an image.

It was a graphic, with a picture of Shidou with his usual stoic expression beside it.

"This is what was captured by the spiritual wave detector just before we decided to go ahead with our plan."

The graph showed a steady straight line, until it reached a point where the line shot abruptly upwards. The slope was practically a straight angle. The line stopped climbing when it reached a level of energy equal to that of a Spirit.

It wasn't the highest reading they'd taken. The Spirit that appeared that same day, 'Princess', a Spirit classified with AAA rank, released an amount of energy several times higher. However, Shidou still released an abysmal energy compared to that of human wizards, and it was the highest they had taken from him so far.

"My point is that his spiritual energy went up and down too fast. He almost seemed to have control over it."

"Well, this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Maybe that is because his powers are very volatile." Kotori tried to refute what Reine said, but she didn't sound very convinced about what she was saying.

"What makes you suspicious anyway?"

"Ah... I guess I should have shown you this in first place." Reine manipulated the tablet, and it went on to show a video.

"This was captured by the camera just then."

Kotori's eyes opened like plates when she saw the content of the video, and her mouth opened, dropping the lolipop she was eating.

The recording showed the Spirit 'Princess' rushing to attack her brother. That would already make her nervous, but what left her in shock was the next thing she saw.

The video had to be put in slow motion because it happened too fast. In Shidou's hand appeared an oriental-looking sword. It was short, single-edged, black with a red hexagonal pattern, and with a Ying-Yang symbol on its guard.

Her brother swung it at inhuman speeds, successfully parryng Princess' attack. And what's more, despite the difference in size, the sword didn't break.

The situation that Kotori feared most happened much sooner than she expected. Her brother manifested a weapon with his spiritual energy. And, although it did not look like any of the Angels registered to date, the unique weapons possessed by all the Spirits, if it could face one of these, it was quite possible that it was also an Angel.

Kotori's expression turned to a deadly serious one. "Has anyone else seen this recording?"

"... As far as I am aware, not."

"Good. Get rid of that recording, including any existent copy."

Reine nodded wearily and set out to do so. Luckily, no one on the crew seemed to have heard the conversation.

Kannazuki continued to hug his shoulders with an expression of extreme pleasure. She didn't know what Shidou had done to him, but it was really effective. She'd be sure to ask him to teach it to her.

Although the man's loyalty was indisputable, his extravagant personality could become annoying at times.

She had to protect her Onii-chan. There were already several occasions when the sensors that monitored him around the clock detected that the spiritual powers in his body suddenly increased. It always matched him being locked in his room, so they couldn't see what was going on, but this time they did catch it.

If the worst were to happen and her superiors determined him too dangerous, she would be forced to take extreme measures. And that was something she really didn't want to have to do.

* * *

"I... I did it." Despite the great feat I accomplished, my voice sounded like that of a living dead.

I had achieved it, I completed the 'training' that Kotori prepared for me to deal with the Spirits.

It had been 10 days since I got into this whole mess. I've been in absurd situations, but this took the cake.

After the talk with Kotori, I was taken to another room for a more detailed explanation of the situation. Apart from the fact that it seemed to me that they were either withholding a lot of information from me, or there were many things unexplained around these 'Spirits', they explained to me how magecraft worked in this world, or as they call it, magic. I couldn't understand much either.

The humans of this world require the help of a machine called 'Realizer' to use magic. I guess magecraft went into decline much faster than in my original world, resulting in the almost non-existence magical circuits.

Returning to the subject, this 'Realizer' allows the 'wizard' to create a 'territory'. That's basically the equivalent of a bounded field, usually around the user, that the wizard can use to manipulate its interior. In short, the wizards can do things like ignore the laws of physics, infuse mana into objects, etc, as long as such action is performed within the 'territory'.

That explained a little bit how the strange mechanical suits worn by the members of the AST worked.

The next day quite a lot happened. Murasame became the physics teacher, substituting suspiciously for the former teacher, as well as becoming Okamine-sensei's assistant teacher.

With that, she and Kotori set up a Ratatoskr's secret base in the physics classroom.

I also met Origami again. She dragged me to the roof door to talk about what happened the day before.

She asked me to forget everything, which is impossible, even if I hadn't gotten into the whole Ratatoskr mess. I ended up playing the fool, and I took the opportunity to ask her questions about the AST.

To my surprise, she answered most of my questions. As I thought, they never attempted to engage in conversation with the Spirits, but neither did they seem to have succeeded in killing any.

I asked her about their witness policies, and she answered vaguely. At least, her answer did not include any metaphor that would imply that they were simply eliminated. I suppose they use some kind of hypnosis and cover up the events as natural disasters.

Finally, I ended up asking her about her hatred of the Spirits. Her answer was really sad.

A Spirit killed her parents 5 years ago. She sought revenge, and her only purpose in life was to eradicate the Spirits so that no one else would have to go through it.

I could sympathize with her, after all, her circumstances were somewhat similar to those that made me decide to pursue my dream. But still, it was still sad that a young girl like her was deprived of her peaceful childhood, and ended up following a bloody path.

Convincing her to put that aside will be very difficult, but I'll have to do it to save her from becoming an emotionless killing machine.

And after that, we got to the worst part of the day. The 'training'.

Of all the things I could expect, a dating simulator called "Make Love, My Little Shidou" was not one of them.

That game really was hell.

If dealing with girls is something in which my experience is non-existent, the situations I was exposed to in that game seemed to come from a very disturbed mind. I remember the first choice made my brain have to reboot for a few moments. My inability to act in time caused an extra option to be automatically selected, leading to the best possible development.

My E rank luck was the same as always from there.

Bad choices not only led to bad endings where the protagonist used to die or end up paraplegic, but Kotori also imposed a 'punishment' on me.

My past in primary school didn't include what could be called 'chunnibyou period'. Still, my little sister managed to find several gaps to exploit.

A few years ago, the teacher asked us to write a poem about ourselves during a lesson. Since I had no idea what to write, I asked her, and she told me to just let out what was inside of me.

I ended up writing the Japanese version of my aria to manifest the Unlimited Blade Works. That poem described me perfectly, so I thought it was a great idea at the time.

The teacher wanted to take me to a psychologist. It was a normal reaction to seeing an eight-year-old boy write something so grim about himself. At least she didn't show it to the other classmates.

The thing is, Kotori somehow got hold of that poem, printed several copies and had them distributed to the shoe lockers at my school. All of that, for one bad choice I made.

My pride couldn't be harmed because it didn't exist in the first place, but that didn't take away the amount of shame that I felt all week.

But that's over! I finally reached the happy end.

"Nn... It's been some time, but let's say the first step has been completed."

"And it looks like he's seen all the CGs, so for now it's an approval mark I guess... But still, this is just dealing with virtual girls in the end."

Comments in a pitiful tone from Kotori and Reine came accompanied by a long sigh.

"Well then, for the next training we will start with the real girls. We have just enough time after all."

"...Is he going to be okay?"

"It's okay. Even if he fails, the only thing lost would be the trust of society in Shidou."

Their carefree words made me sweat. They spoke as if I weren't a few foots from them.

"So, Shidou. For the next training..."

Now the one who sighed was me. "I don't know why, but I have a feeling this is going to end badly for me. But anyway, what else do I have to do?"

"Let's see... I wonder who would be okay."

Reine began to operate the computer in front of her, and the screens showed images of the corridors of the school building.

"That's right... Let's go with something safe first. How about someone like her?" Saying that, Reine pointed out an image that showed Tama-chan.

"Ah, I understand. That's okay, let's do it." Kotori agreed, and put on a pretty perverse smile.

"Shin, your training has been decided."

Putting aside her incorrect pronunciation of my name, I swallowed noisily. I could already imagine what they were referring to, but I decided to ask anyway.

"And what kind of training?"

"Ah... During a real event, when a Spirit appears, we will have you hide a miniature intercom in your ear, and you will face the problems by following our instructions. We would like to treat this training as if it were real, and practice with it once." That was a relief, but it didn't answer my question.

"So, what am I going to do?"

"For the moment, go seduce Okamine Tamae." Her answer came out as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Huh?" It was hard for my brain to process what I was asked to do.

"Is there a problem?"

"Of course there is a problem! Why are you expecting me to seduce my teacher?"

"You're gonna face a lot tougher opponents during a real mission, right?"

"That's true, but..."

"I think she's the most suitable as your first opponent. Most likely, even if you confess she won't accept it, and it doesn't look like she's going to spread the news either... Well, if you're against it no matter what, then it would be fine to change your opponent to a student..."

Her words made me stop and reflect. I began to visualize in my mind a multitude of possible scenarios. I never thought I'd use my eye of the mind for something like this.

However, after that hellish training, I understood why Kotori refers to dates as battles. If Shirou had to deal with this back then while I was dealing with the Matous problem, I can only sympathize.

In all the scenarios I envisioned, I was brutally rejected. Gossip would spread, and my reputation at school would go down the drain.

Normally, I wouldn't mind that, but, if people avoid me, I won't be able to help them. On the other hand, if it'is Tama-chan, she probably will take it as a joke and doesn't care.

"So what are you going to do?" Kotori's voice pulled me out of my train of thought. "Actually, failure is equivalent to death, so no matter which one you choose, we were planning on giving you one shot."

Repressing the urge to hit my head against the wall, I answered your question. "The teacher, please."

"...Great." Nodding wearily, Reine pulled a device out of one of the drawers and gave it to me. Next, she pulled out some microphone headphones.

I put the device in my right ear as indicated, and seconds later, I heard Reine's voice coming from it.

"_How about that, can you hear me?"_

Needless to say, it was a communication device.

"Yeah."

"_Good, it is connected. Is the volume all right?"_

"Yes, I think so..."

Murasame, who put on the headphones, nodded to herself. _"...Nn, okay. There is no problem on our part."_

Meanwhile, Kotori took another small device out of the drawer. With a touch of her finger, it spread wings and flew in the air like an insect.

"What is that?"

"...Take a look." Reine simply operated the computer, making the image change. In it you could see the room we were in and the three of us.

"...An ultra-small high-sensitivity camera. We're going to follow you through with this, so make sure you don't confuse it with a mosquito and destroy it."

I couldn't help but whistle. The technology of this era kept surprising me every day.

"Anyway, hurry up and go. The target is in the third floor hallway in the east building. That's close."

I nodded and walked out of the room. At that moment, I did not realize that Kotori's expression changed into one of concern.

I looked left and right, and I saw Okamine's back at the bottom of the corridor.

In order not to attract attention, I walked towards her at a brisk pace. When I was near, she seemed to notice the sound of my steps, stopped and turned to see me.

"Oh. Itsuka-kun? Can I help you with something?"

I stared at her without knowing what to say. Even though the few times I spoke to her I never had any problems, now that I was treating her as a target to seduce I went blank.

"_Calm down. This is a training. Even if you fail, you're not going to die."_ I heard Kotori's voice through the earpiece trying to calm me down.

I nodded for myself and tried to put on the most serious face I could. I decided to start with the most basic, the flattery.

"Sensei, those clothes are really cute." I prepared myself internally for the worst.

However, to my surprise, her face blushed as she smiled, and she scratched the back of her head.

"Huh? Really? Hehe, you're embarrassing me."

If I stopped to think about the next move, I'd probably end up screwing up. So, I kept with the same.

"Yes, it suits you very well."

"Fufu, thanks. Actually, this are my favourites."

"Your hairstyle is also pretty."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yeah, and your glasses too."

"Ah. Ahahaha."

"And that book seems really interesting and cool." By the time I realized I had just said something stupid, it was too late.

"Uhm... Itsuka-kun...?" She ended up looking at me baffled and smiling ironically.

"_You were doing well, stupid brother, but you overdone it."_

Even if she told me that, I was stuck. I was really struggling to stay serious.

"Was that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

Seeing as I was running out of time, I heard Reine's sleepy voice. _"...Oh, well. Then please just repeat the words I tell you."_

I decided to trust her, and I ended up repeating what she was saying to me without much thought.

"Teacher."

"What is it?"

"I've found coming to school recently to be very funny."

"Seriously? That's great, isn't it?" She smiled. I guess hearing that from a student who's serious all the time made her happy.

"Yeah... It was since you became our tutor."

That surprised her a lot. "What are you trying to say? Geez, what's going on with this all of a sudden?"

"Actually, for a long time now, I've..."

"Ah, that's not good. I appreciate your feelings, but you know, I'm a teacher." As she said that, she showed a bitter smile.

I guess this was the limit. She was going to reject me without hesitation, after all, the age difference was too much.

Despite that, Reine kept giving me instructions to attack.

"I'm serious. I really want to..."

"Uhm... This is problematic for me." She got nervous at my insistence.

"I really want to marry you!"

Mentioning the word 'marry', her expression changed. After a few moments of silence, she spoke again in a lower tone.

"Are you really serious about this?"

"Yes." I stood firm despite the sudden change of atmosphere.

"Seriously? When Itsuka-kun is old enough to get married, I'll be over thirty, you know? Still, is that okay with you? Should we go to meet our parents now? After you graduate from high school, will you come to live with me?"

She approached me with her bright eyes and irregular breathing. This took a completely unexpected turn. Wasn't she supposed to reject me?

"Uhm... teacher?"

"_Looks like that was more effective than I thought."_

"What's going on?" I asked Reine with a practically inaudible whisper.

"_...Well, as a 29-year-old single woman, the magic word 'marriage' is a deadly spell. As her old companions begin to form their own families, her parents pressure her, and the wall of 30 approaches imminently, her situation is quite insecure... But, still, she seems desperate." _Even she seemed perplexed by the situation.

Yeah, this was definitely not a good idea.

"B-but what am I supposed to do now?"

"Hey Itsuka-kun, do you have some time now? You're not old enough to sign a marriage registration yet, so let's make a blood pact. We can probably borrow a paintbrush from the art room. Don't worry, I'll make sure it doesn't hurt."

Okay, that really sounded murky. I had to get out of here, and very quickly.

"_Ah, getting caught up in this will be problematic. You've accomplished your mission, so give an acceptable apology and get away from there."_ Just in time.

I have rarely run away from a battle, and it was always when things were really bad and I couldn't do anything else. This is one of those occasions.

"I'm sorry, teacher. I don't think I'm ready to go that far. Please, pretend this never happened. If you excuse me!"

"Ah ah, Itsuka-kun!?"

By the timed she reacted, it was late. I was already turning the corner at the end of the hall.

I could hear Kotori's laughter through the earpiece. _"Wow, that teacher has quite a personality."_

Her laughter reminded me disturbingly of Rin's.

"Don't joke with me!" My complaints were interrupted when, around the corner I crashed into a student, and she fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" I apologized in a hurry to keep running, but I stopped when I saw who it was.

It was no other than Tobiichi Origami. Besides, when she fell, her legs were so left that I could see his white underwear.

I noticed that my cheeks were heating up from the hormones. I looked away instantly, but she did not react violently as I expected.

"I'm fine." She talked to me as I got up. "Is something wrong?"

I realized she wasn't asking why I was running as if my life depended on it. Rather, it was because I was looking at the ground, with one hand on my face.

"Nothing, nothing to worry about. I was just surprised to see something very unrealistic." The situation was absurdly similar to some of the hellish video game I was forced to play.

"I see." Without attaching much importance to the matter, Tobiichi set out to walk down the corridor.

The next sentence of Kotori I heard froze my blood.

"_This is a perfect opportunity, Shidou. Let's continue our training with her."_

"Eh?" My voice came out as a sound of the grave. What the Primate Murder and the King of Heroes couldn't achieve, these girls were achieving it now.

"_It's probably best if we could get some data on someone of your age, instead of your teacher. Also, although she is not a Spirit, she is an important member of the AST. Don't you think she will be a good reference? As far as I know, she doesn't seem the type to spread rumors either."_

I nodded resigned. To try to refuse would only lengthen suffering. Pinching the bridge of my nose to relieve my growing urge to hit my head against the wall, I approached the albino girl.

"Tobiichi."

"What?" She turned around with a quick twist. It almost looked like she'd been waiting for this.

"Those clothes are cute." Without realizing it, I started with the same strategy that I used with Tama-chan.

"It's the school uniform."

"Right..." I felt the urge to palm my face.

"_Why did you choose her clothes, ant?"_

Ignoring how my sister made that sound like a real insult, Reine ended up agreeing to help me again.

"Hey, Tobiichi."

"What?"

" I've actually... known about you for a while."

"I see. I also knew you." Her response was as short as ever. Still, it made my eyebrows tremble for a few moments.

"Really? I'm very happy... Also, being in the same class for the second year made me very happy too. All this week, I've always been looking at you during classes."

"I see. I've been looking at you, too."

"Really? Ah, but that's not all. After school, I stay in the classroom and smell your gym clothes, Tobiichi." I screamed internally as I realized what I had said. However...

"I see. I do the same thing." Her response was just as disturbing.

I started sweating. What the hell is wrong with the girls at this school?

"Really? Somehow, it seems like we're meant for each other."

"Yes."

"So, if it's okay with you, would you go out with me?"

…

What am I doing with my life? In my confused state, I kept repeating the words without even noticing what I said. What kind of joke is this E rank luck? There's no freacking way I'm ten times luckier than a normal person.

Kotori's laughter was heard through the earpiece. "_I didn't think you would do it! You need to see your face right now!"_

"You were the ones who told me to just say it like that!"

"I wouldn't mind." Tobiichi's answer interrumpted the conversation.

"Huh?"

"I said I wouldn't mind."

The earpiece must be broken or something and I hear things that I shouldn't.

"I wouldn't mind going out with you."

I could feel a part of my mind breaking down trying to make some sense out of all this. There's something really wrong here. It's impossible for anyone to agree to go out with me, and even more so suddenly.

Calm down, think in swords, that always works. She must have misunderstood something. Yes, that must be it.

"Ah, ahh... you were talking about going somewhere with me, weren't you?"

She tilted her head slightly. "Was that what you meant?"

"Ah, uh... uhm, Tobiichi, what did you think I meant...?"

"I thought you meant having a relationship."

My eyebrows went up over my bangs. For some reason, hearing the word 'relationship' from her felt immoral.

"Am I wrong?"

"No... you're not wrong..."

Damn it! Why didn't I deny it!? I have to solve this misunderstanding!

Luckily, before my mental health deteriorated further, a shrill alarm was heard. It was the spacequake alarm.

"An emergency. See you." Saying that, she turned around and ran down the hall.

Before I could try to tell her anything, I heard a voice over the earpiece._ "Shidou, it's a spacequake. For now let's get you back to Fraxinus. Come back immediately."_

"So, it's a Spirit?"

"_Yes, the place where it will appear is right here, Raizen High School." _

* * *

It was 5:30 in the afternoon. I was standing in front of the dilapidated school building, still dressed in school uniform and wearing the Ratatoskr erapiece.

The spacequake took place in the courtyard, leaving a crater just like the one I saw last time. Luckily, the Spirit stayed inside the building. The 'Realizers' of the AST members were not suitable for indoor combat, so I had free rein.

This would be my first mission to seduce a Spirit. It still felt strange to receive so much support in the search of my dream, to save them all. Although, the way Kotori presented to me the crew who would be supporting me was unique, to say the least.

"Haahh" I took a deep breath to calm down. The situations I had just been through were traumatic, but I put all that aside and cleared my mind.

Many people's lives depended on this. Perhaps with that added pressure I will be able to focus.

With determined steps, I walked towards the building. The side wall had a hole made with several clean cuts. It was certainly where the Spirit had entered.

"_Then, let's start our date/battle! Let's hurry. The sign of the Spirit is three floors down the stairs, in the fourth hall of the front."_

"Understood."

I went through the hole and started climbing the stairs. There was total silence around me. It was like the calm before the storm. The ominous atmosphere reminded me of when I was climbing the stairs of Ryuudouji Temple just before my fight to the death with Gilgamesh.

I hope it doesn't end that way.

Kotori seemed to notice this. _"Don't worry, Shidou. If you die, you can just hit the "restart" button."_

I don't know if it was a joke to relieve tension, but she seemed pretty confident. However, the reality was very different. This mission had a very real risk of death, any normal person would flee without looking back. Still, I did not attach much importance to it. I'm already used to this sort of thing, after all, being a magus is walking with death.

I arrived at the classroom, which turned out to be mine, and went inside. There she was, the mysterious girl I had known for over a week. She happened to be on my desk, lit by the sunset sun through the broken windows.

"Ah..." My words died when I saw her face.

She was half asleep, looking at the blackboard with the same melancholy expression as at that time. The illusory brightness of her eyes and her dominant presence continued to remind me of Saber.

"Nn...?" She seemed to notice my presence. She opened her eyes at once and looked at me.

"Hey-"

My attempt at greeting was interrupted when I had to move my head quickly to one side. What looked like a condensed beam of magical energy passed really close to my cheek.

"_Shidou!"_ The worried voice of my sister echoed in my eardrum.

"Hey, wait-!"

Again, my attempt at conversation was interrupted. This time, she waved her arm horizontally, firing a stream of magical energy.

I crouched instantly, letting the attack pass over me. The walls and windows on my back were blown up like paper.

I got up again quickly and extended my hands up in a gesture to indicate that I was not hostile.

"Wait! I'm not your enemy!"

That seemed to make her stop. Seconds later, I felt her penetrating gaze staring at me meticulously.

"Who are you?" She didn't seem to remember me. Her case was probably similar to that of a servant.

"I am-"

What I was going to say was interrupted, again, by Kotori's voice. _"Wait a moment."_

On the Fraxinus Bridge, an intense debate took place. They had been monitoring the conversation from the beginning, and Reine was using a Realizer to analyze the mood of the Spirit.

The advanced AI they possessed showed three possible answers to the girl's question.

1- "I am Itsuka Shidou. I have come to save you!"

2- "I'm just someone helpless passing by, please don't kill me."

3- "Before asking someone's name, say yours first."

Although option 1 was the most obvious, and Shidou was likely to say, the majority voted on option 3.

When I stopped suddenly, the girl began to look at me more intensely. The tension in the environment was growing by the second.

I had decided to trust my sister's judgment now that the situation was serious, but this was getting out of hand.

"I'm going to ask you again. Who are you?"

I was already beginning to visualize the blueprints of Kanshou and Bakuya when I finally got Kotori's answer.

"_Shidou, do you copy? Answer exactly what I tell you."_

I nodded quietly and repeated his words as they were. "Before asking someone's name, say yours first."

My confidence was fading with every word.

"Do you want to get me killed!?" By the time I complained, it was too late.

I jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding what looked like pure energy balls. The balls went through the floor where I was a few seconds ago, and they continued their way disintegrating everything they touched.

"_Eh, that's weird..."_ I don't know what she is surprised about. The weird thing was what they made me say.

"This is the last time. If you have no intention of answering, I will treat you as an enemy." The girl, with her patience running out, threw an ultimatum.

Seeing that if this continued, I would end up fighting for my life, I decided to answer as I planned from the beginning.

"I am Itsuka Shidou. I study here. I have no intention of harming you." I kept my face serious as I could and I raised my arms again.

"Stay like this. You are within my strike range." The girl commanded me as she approached cautiously towards me.

As a precaution, I reinforced my legs discreetly to dodge in case things go south.

She gave me a couple laps as she watched every detail of me, until she seemed to react by raising her eyebrows.

"Have we ever seen each other before?"

"That was a few days ago, in the city."

She gently banged her hands as if remembering me, but immediately she became tense again.

"You're the guy with the sword who said weird things." She stood in front of me and leaned over to look me straight in the eye. "If I remember correctly, you said you had no intention of killing me. Hmph, I've seen through that. Tell me, what are you looking for? Do you plan to attack me from behind after I let my guard down?"

I raised an eyebrow at her statement. She must have been exposed to a very hostile environment to be so suspicious of a person.

"Not all people want to kill you." I went straight to the point. It was the only thing that seemed to work with her.

My response surprised her more than I expected. She stepped back and looked at me inquisitively.

A barely inaudible word came out of her lips. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"The people I've met, they all told me that I should die."

"Those were just a few people. The rest don't think like that." It was a half-truth, as most people didn't know she existed in first place.

She continued to make a face of mistrust. "So, if you don't intend to kill me, what purpose are you here for right now?"

"_Shidou." _I heard my sister's voice before I could answer. It seemed like they were going to give me an answer again.

At least, this time the answer was with more sense.

"I came to meet you."

"To meet me? Why?" She tilted her head in confusion.

Again, I received another response from Fraxinus' crew. "I want to know you so we can love each other." Wait, that wasn't too much direct-

I tilted my head down when a wind blade ran over me, cutting off some of my hairs.

"I don't want to listen your jokes." What surprised me was that instead of making an angry face, she returned to a melancholy expression. That wasn't a very good move.

I put myself together as fast as I could, and I decided to answer her honestly.

"I came to talk with you."

"What do you mean?"

I couldn't help but sigh and scratch the back of my head. Her distrust was completely normal.

She was a girl who had been alone since she came here, and the only people she met, wanted to kill her. As a person who died alone on a hill of swords, I can understand the loneliness she must be feeling.

However, I ended up like that because I decided to throw everything away to pursue my dream. She did not have the opportunity to choose. She was rejected by the world without even doing anything.

"I just want to talk with you, that's all. I don't care about the issue. Even if you decide to ignore me, that's fine. But, I want you to know one thing. I..."

Asking for her trust was too much. But, at least, if I can get her to stop distrusting me, it will be a big step forward. I ignored Kotori's attempts to stop me, and went ahead, showing her my resolve.

"I am gonna save you! Even if everyone rejects you, I won't! I won't reject your existence!"

The girl opened her eyes completely, and looked away. A very similar reaction to the Rin. But, I still don't know what it means.

After a few moments of silence, she spoke to me again with a thread of voice. "Shidou... You said you were Shidou, right?"

"Yeah."

"You're really not going to deny my existence?"

"Yes."

"Seriously, seriouly?"

"Seriously, seriously."

"Seriously, seriously, seriously?"

"Seriously, seriously, seriously." Okay, this was taking a weird turn.

"Hmpf." Finally, she looked back at me, folded her arms and put on a derogatory smile. "Who are you trying to fool with those words?"

"I'm really serious. I-" My answer was cut out by her.

"But, you know..." Her expression turned into quite a complicated one. "I don't know what kind of motives you have, but you're the first human I can have a proper conversation with... To get more information about this world, you could be of some use." She finished her speech by snorting again.

"Huh?" Her sudden changes in attitude were making me very confused.

"I'm saying I wouldn't mind if it is just talking with you. But just to get information. Mm, that's very important. Information is super important."

"Is that how it is?" You didn't have to be too smart to know that she was just making excuses, but I was still surprised that she agreed so quickly.

"_Good work. Just keep it up."_ Kotori encouraged me to move on.

"But, just try to do something suspicious and I'll make a hole in your body."

I sighed again at her behavior similar to that of my former master. "Well, I understand..."

The girl started walking around the room, looking at the shattered desks. "Then, I'm going to ask, Shidou. What is this place? It's the first time I've seen a place like this."

"This is a school. A place where people my age come to learn. We sat at those desks."

Her eyes opened when she heard my answer. "Is all this filled with humans? Don't play with me. There must be about forty."

"I'm not playing, it's true." When she appears in this world, everyone is hiding in shelters because of the spacequake alert."

"Hey..." When I tried to resume the conversation, I stopped as I remembered I didn't have a name to refer to.

This made her frown. She remained thoughtful for a few moments, until I heard her speak for herself.

"I see, to have a conversation with someone, that's necessary, huh?" She nodded and turned to look at me again. "Shidou... What do you want to call me?"

"What?"

"Give me a name."

"Me!?" Of all people, she was asking that of someone who doesn't remember his original name, and his noble phantasm doesn't have a name either.

"Yes. I have no plans to talk to anyone else anyway. No problem."

I've always thought that you have to expect the unexpected, but this situation overwhelmed me.

"_Calm down Shidou. Don't rush and say a weird name."_ Hearing that the Fraxinus crew was helping me relax.

The seconds passed without receiving an answer. The girl was growing impatient.

I tapped the earpiece several times, disguising it as if I were thinking, at her attentive glance.

"_Tome."_ Finally, Kotori uttered a name. It was an old-style name, but it was better than nothing.

"Tome! Your name is Tome!"

The thing didn't look too good at the time she grimaced. The alarms I started hearing througth the communication device weren't a very good omen either.

Indeed, I had to jump a couple of meters to the side when the ground where I was was bombarded with energy balls.

"I don't know why, but it seemed like you were making fun of me." As she said that, a vein stood out in her temple.

"I'm sorry! Let me think a little more."

For the second time in a day, I found myself using my eye of mind to think of something that has nothing to do with combat. I began to discard absurd names, and also similar to 'Tome'.

For a moment, it occurred to me to call her Saber, because of her resemblance to Arturia. But I ended up discarding it because, being a foreign word, she could confuse it and attack me again.

Finally, I tried my luck with the only name I could think of. "Tohka."

"Nn?"

"How about that?"

She was silent for a few moments. "Well, at least it's better than Tome."

That surprised me. In an immense display of creativity, I gathered the kanjis from the date we met, April 10. What? The situation was really desperate.

My spiral of thought was interrupted when she approached me. "So... Tohka. How do you spell it?"

I went to the blackboard, which fortunately had not been destroyed, and wrote the name with a chalk. When finished, she infused her finger with magical energy and wrote the name on the blackboard crudely.

And with that, the lone nameless girl became known as Tohka.

The situation was really embarrassing, but she looked very happy. In fact, that was the first time I saw her smile. I couldn't help my lips bending slightly upwards.

Unfortunately, the magic moment was interrupted an explosion inside the building.

"_Shidou, get on the ground!"_

Quickly, I listened to Kotori and bent down. Seconds later, the sound of a machine gun was heard, and the walls and windows began to fill with holes.

"What happens?" My smile faded and I returned to my usual serious face.

"_It looks like an attack from the outside. They are probably trying to lure out the Spirit, or they may try to tear down the building to remove the places she can hide."_

"Tch. So they've moved on to the action, huh?"

I raised my head to look at Tohka, and saw that her expression of happiness was replaced again by her sad expression. That made me frown.

The bullets had no effect on her, they just bounced.

The attack stopped for a few moments, and I took the opportunity to approach her.

"Hurry and escape, Shidou. If you stay with me, you will be attacked by your fellow humans." She spoke to me with clear concern.

"_There are two options. Stay or run away."_

I didn't even stop to think about the answer. "Of course I won't run away." If I go now, everything we've accomplished will be thrown away.

"_You're such an idiot."_

"I'm told a lot.

_"I know. That was a compliment."_

Without hesitation, I sat on the floor in front of Tohka.

Her eyes widened whens she saw what I did. "What are you doing? Hurry up-"

"That don't care about that. We said we'd have a conversation, and that's what we're going to do. You wanted information about this world, right? Go ahead, ask me. If it's something I can answer, I don't care how many questions you have, I'll answer them as best I can."

Despite her surprise, she also sat down.

I spent the time answering her questions. They were nothing special, just questions she could never ask anyone. However, that was enough for her to smile again.

"_The numbers have stabilized. If possible, try to ask questions too, Shidou. We need information from the Spirits."_

She was right. The information we had about the Spirits was really scarce and confusing. After thinking about it for a few moments, I decided how I would proceed.

"Hey, Tohka."

"What is it?"

"Do you know what you are exactly?"

She frowned at the question. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"It's true. There's nothing I can do about it... I don't know how long ago it was, but I was born 'there' suddenly. That's it. My memories are distorted and imprecise. I have no idea about things like what kind of being I am."

I nodded as I delved into my thoughts. What she had just said was consistent with how little I could draw from her mysterious sword. The problem is that we're just like before.

Where is 'there'? Is it a parallel universe? Is it the reverse side of the world? Another dimension like the mirror world? Or they are an extraterrestrial being like the Type-Moon? That would be troubling. As far as I could tell, although Gaia's influence is more or less the same as my previous world, I could not verify whether the dead apostles also existed here. In a way, it would make sense for spirits to be the counterpart of those beings sent to earth to exterminate humanity at the request of the planet itself .

My train of thought was interrupted when Kotori's voice came out of the earpiece. _"It's your chance, Shidou!"_

"Huh? What's going on?"

"_The Spirit's Mood Meter has gone up to over 70. If you want to make a move, then this is the moment."_

"A move... like what?"

"That's right. For now... try to invite her on a date?"

I had trouble suppressing a scream of surprise. My face paled as I remembered the purpose of all this.

"Nn, is something wrong, Shidou?" Tohka noticed and asked me curiously.

"It's nothing."

"_Invite her now. After all, the best way to increase intimacy is to go with everything this way."_

"Even if you say that, by the time she shows up, the AST-"

"_That's one more reason. Next time she shows up, I'll let you run off with her to a big building. The aquarium, or the theater, or a department store, whatever it's fine. If it's an underground establishment that's even better. If you do that, then the AST probably won't go in directly."_

Well she had a point.

"Shidou?" Tohka asked me expectantly because of my sudden silence.

That was added to the fact that I started listening to the entire Fraxinus crew shouting 'Date! Date!'

I couldn't stand the pressure, and I ended up giving in. "Tohka."

"Nn?"

"Would you like... to go on a date with me?" There it goes, the first time in my entire existence I invited a girl on a date.

Preparing for the worst, I watched her reaction. But...

"What is a date?" She answered with confusion, reminding me of when I asked the same thing to Rin.

If this was an anime, I would have fallen comically backwards.

"That is-" Luckily, my poor attempt at explanation was cut by my sister's urgent voice.

"_Shidou! The AST is on the move!"_

Right at that moment, Tobiichi entered the room through the pierced wall.

Tohka's face darkened upon seeing her, and Origami drew his laser sword and his mechanical suit. Immediately, she attacked the Spirit, but Tohka stopped her sword with her bare hand.

"How rude!" Without much effort, she threw the sword, along with its wielder, to one side.

Origami flipped in the air and landed standing gracefully. She glanced at me briefly with relief, before taking her stance and pointing her sword at Tohka.

"Tsk. You again. Sandalphon!" Shouting the name of her weapon, the space was distorted and appeared in the hall the throne with the great sword.

"_Shidou, retreat! Let Fraxinus pick you up now. If possible try not to be near them."_

I nodded and ran immediately into the corridor. Intervening in the fight would be useless, and I didn't want to openly expose my magecraft now that I knew I was so watched.

In a seemingly suicidal maneuver, I jumped out of the broken window in the hallway. Surviving the fall was not a problem with reinforcement, but that was innecessary.

In the air, I felt a sense of weightlessness, and the next moment I was in Fraxinus.

* * *

The next day, I found myself going to school. Yes, I looked stupid knowing that yesterday the building was destroyed, but I had my reasons.

I spent the night in a meeting with the other members of Fraxinus to review the video of yesterday's events. We couldn't come to any conclusions either, but I had to check something.

The power difference between the AST wizards and Tohka was abysmal, but power was not everything in a fight. As someone who spent his life fighting dead apostles, I understood that more than anyone. Although most times I was overwhelmed in power, I managed to emerge victorious in many battles. The most recent example was my fight against the King of Heroes, although, how things ended, that would be considered more of a draw.

As I expected, the building was even more destroyed and the signs of battle were more than evident. To my relief, I found no indication that there were any victims. It could be that they cleaned up the scene, but seeing that the disaster was still there, it was unlikely.

With that checked, I had nothing else to do. If I remember correctly, we were out of milk and eggs.

"Hey, Shidou..."

That's weird. I swear I didn't wear Fraxinus' communication device. Yesterday's traumatic events must have affected me more than I thought.

"Stop ignoring me!"

With that scream, it was clear that someone had approached me while I was absorbed in my thoughts. I turned to face the person, and what I saw surprised me a lot.

"Huh?" I must be having hallucinations, because on top of a pile of rubble was the person I met yesterday. The being that causes spacequakes just by coming to this world.

"Tohka!?"

"So you finally realized, idiot, idiot."

She got down from the rubble and stood in front of me. My eyebrow trembled for a few moments. No, she doesn't look like a hallucination.

"What are you doing here, Tohka?"

"Nn? What do you mean?"

"How are you here? There was no spacequake alarm." I might have been quite distracted, but it was impossible to miss something so noisy.

"Even if you ask me that..." She didn't seem worried at all. In fact, she seemed confused by my reaction. "Aren't you the one who invited me, Shidou? It was... a date."

Oh, that was true. "Did you remember?"

"What, do you think I'm an idiot something like that?"

She was the one who didn't remember me yesterday...

"Hmph, whatever. More importantly Shidou, let's get on with that date now. Date, date, date, date."

I pinched the bridge of my nose to relieve the migraine that was coming in. "Okay, okay. I get it. Just stop repeating that word."

"Huh, why? Don't tell me you took advantage of the fact that I don't know its meaning and taught me an obscene word?"

"No, that's not it!" Well, the after-effects of that infernal training made me pretty inclined to say yes.

I coughed a little to put it back together. "Anyway, if you want to go on the date, we're gonna have to do something with your clothes."

"What's wrong with my astral dress? This is my armor and my territory. I will not tolerate your insults."

"You draw too much attention with that. The AST will notice and come to interrupt us."

Her displeasing face was an indication that she had understood my point.

"What should I do then?"

Well, that's a problem. Taking her to a store would be problematic, and my wallet wasn't very full. I could project a set of clothes. She already saw me project Kanshou, so there would be no inconvenience in that regard. The problem is I don't have her sizes, and being something that isn't recorded in my reality marble, it will be a hollow capy that would deteriorate quickly.

At this time, the ability of the servants to quickly switch between casual clothing and combat attire would be very convenient. Wait...

"What kind of clothes would be good? Just tell me that." She got impatient as I squeezed my head for a solution.

Well, that gave me the clue I needed. If she called her armor 'astral dress', maybe she can change it like servants do.

Now, I needed a reference. Luckily, I saw out of the corner of my eye a student I didn't know walking down the street in front of the school. From her dream face, she seems to have overlooked the announcement that the school was canceled today.

"Tohka, over there. Clothes like that will be fine."

Tohka looked in the direction I pointed and saw the student. "Mmm, I see. So that would be nice."

She raised his hand and extended his index finger, imitating the shape of a gun. It reminded me of the way Rin shot the Gandr curse.

My eyes opened when, like my former master, a small orb of magical energy appeared at the tip of her finger.

"Wait!" Quickly, I grabbed her arm and moved it to aim upwards.

The orb, which was meant to hit the student's head, was lost in the clouds.

"What are you doing, Shidou? You made me miss." She spoke to me outraged.

"That's my line! What were you going to do to her?"

"I was going to stun her and take her clothes off, but..." Well, at least she didn't mean to kill her.

I breathed a long sigh. "Listen Tohka. You can't just attack people like that."

"Why not?"

"You feel upset when the AST attacks you, don't you? If you attack innocent people, you will be doing the same as them. Like I said, no one here wants to attack you."

She pursed her lips with dissatisfaction. Although, rather than disagreeing with what I said, she seemed more upset because I treated her like a child.

"I understand. I will keep that in mind. It can't be helped. I'll take care of the clothes myself, somehow."

Saying that, she snapped her fingers. Her 'astral dress' vanished into particles of prana, and then these particles came together again, taking the form of the school uniform of Raizen High School.

"That's better."

"So, Shidou, now that we've settled on my clothes, will you finally tell me what a date is?"

That question made me sweat. "Well... It's when a boy and a girl go out together and have fun, I think..."

"Ah, is that it?"

"Yeah."

"So basically, yesterday you were saying that you wanted us to play together, the two of us?" That was a pretty raw, embarrassing definition.

"I guess, in a way, yes."

"I see. So, where are we going, Shidou?"

Her enormous enthusiasm made me even more nervous. Without the support of Kotori and Reine, this was going to be very difficult.

"Follow me, Tohka. I'll take you to a very funny place."

"Umu!"

In the end, for lack of a better idea, I ended up taking Tohka to the shopping district.

The huge number of people there put her on guard, but I got her to calm down. Rather, it was the smell of the food stalls that calmed her down.

I was dragged through all the stalls, buying food for Tohka every time she asked me in her way. My money was disappearing fast, and her huge appetite, which reminded me of Saber again, was still not satiated.

Right now, we were sitting at a coffee table.

After looking at the menu, Tohka told me what he wanted. "Soy bread. There's no soy bread?"

"I think so, but weren't you eating that at the bakery?"

"I want to eat it again. I don't know what's going on with that flour, but it's powerful and addictive. If that were recklessly launched into the world, then the results would be catastrophic."

"I doubt that will ever happen."

"Grr, however. Let's begin the discovery of a new flavor."

I look again at the contents of my wallet, and I sighed again. "Yes, yes, but I only have 3000 yen."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm running out of money for buy you more food."

She leaned back a bit shocked, but quickly recovered. "This is a hard world. I guess it can't be helped. Wait a minute. I'm going to gather funds."

"Wait, Tohka! I don't know what you're going to do, but you don't have to! I'll take care of that."

"Are you sure, Shidou?"

"Yes..."

In the end, the receipt for what she ate was barely within my budget. I didn't want to, but if this kept up, I'd have to implement my plan B. Project money.

I'd be ripping off a lot of people, but it was better than Tohka getting out of control and doing something irreparable. I'd have to find a part-time job to pay with real money later.

I went to the bar with her, and put my remaining three bills along with the receipt.

"I would like to pay please."

"Thank you for your visit."

My eyes widened to see the person who attended me. Gray hair, eyes decorated with thick dark circles, and a sleepy face. She was, without a doubt, Murasame Reine, Fraxinus' Analysis Officer.

Tohka noticed my reaction and was on guard. "What's wrong Shidou, an enemy!?"

"No, it's not that! It's nothing to worry about."

After denying her question, I forced myself to show a serious expression and raised an eyebrow. She ignored it, or pretended to do it, and went on with the transaction.

"Ah... Here's your change and receipt."

I picked up the paper, and saw that it had a message. _"We will support you. Continue the date naturally."_

I nodded quietly and put it in my pocket. Then, Reine took out of the cash register a strip of colorful paper and gave it to me.

"...This is a ticket for the commercial raffle. When you leave this shop, if you follow the path to the right, you will reach the location of the raffle. If you wish, please visit the raffle.

She remarked on the last part of her speech. It was obvious that they had something going on there.

"Shidou, what is that?" Tohka expressed her curiosity as she looked at the paper in my hand.

"Do you want to go, Tohka?"

"Do you want to go, Shidou?"

"Yes. Sure it will be fun."

"Then, let's go!" With a bright smile on her face, Tohka dragged me out of the cafeteria.

We arrived at the site in question, and as I expected, the employees were members of the Fraxinus crew in disguise.

We queued up, and I ended up giving Tohka the ticket. With my E rank luck, I wouldn't be surprised if, even if it was rigged, I got the consolation prize.

As expected, Tohka won the first prize. It was a ticket for something called 'Dreamland'. It looked like the name of an amusement park, but as I recall, in the city of Tenguu there was no such thing with that name.

We followed the map that came on the ticket until we reached that place. Tohka went ahead, jumping for joy.

"Oooh! Shidou! ¡There's a castle!"

A castle? Since when is there a castle in this city?

I got where she was waiting for me... and I found something very surreal.

Certainly, though small, there was a western-style castle, with a sign that said 'Dreamland'. And under that sign it said, "Rest-Two hours 4000 yen ~Stay 8000 yen".

It was a hotel. We had been sent to a hotel. My experience in these matters is not very extensive, but even I can see what they were up to.

Why does my sweet little sister have to have such a perverse second personality?

"Tohka, we've strayed. Let's go this way." While I was saying that, I turned around and walked where we had come.

"Nn? Isn't this the place?"

"Yeah... Come on." My eyebrow was beginning to tremble.

"Can't we stop there too? I want to go in."

"No! Better not today! Let's go back another day, okay."

"Uuuu... Fiiine." It felt wrong to disappoint her like that, but it was for her sake. I don't know exactly what would happen if we went in there, but the +18 signal wasn't a very good indication.

We kept walking around, not really knowing where to go. I needed to clear my mind, or at this rate I was going to lose what little sanity I have left.

"Please take one."

Before I could react, a girl put a pack of tissues in my hand. Without saying anything else, she kept walking and passed us.

"Shidou, what's that?"

"These are called pocket tissues..." I replied absently as I read the discreet message in the package.

They had an illustration of a couple holding hands, along with a phrase that said _"If both of you are happy, hold hands."_

If that wasn't enough, in the electronics store, all the Tvs began to show images of Ratatoskr members, encouraging me in an undisguised way to hold Tokha's hand.

And to top it off, the space around us was filled with couples holding hands.

This has to be Kotori's revenge for not following her previous plan.

I sighed, and pinched the bridge of my nose. I had already lost count of the times I had done that to relieve stress. My work as Counter Guardian was beginning to seem relaxing.

"Tohka."

"Nn, what?" She tilted her head inquisitively.

I swallowed loudly and offered her my hand. "Do you want us to hold hands?"

"Why?" I found myself unable to answer that question. However, there were no signs of suspicion on her face, she simply wanted to know the reason.

Although they were insisting on this a lot, I didn't know what this was going to do.

"I also wonder why..."

To my surprise, Tohka's hand grabbed mine. I looked at her with an eyebrow raised, but she kept looking at our hands.

"Umu, this is not bad, holding hands." I could see her smiling as she tightened her grip.

Well, if it made her happy, it's okay with me.

We spent the day being driven around by shady shops who gave us food. The craziness around me diminished quite a bit, so I could relax. Moreover, seeing the constant smile on Tohka's face made this whole ordeal worthwhile.

We ended up in a park with a great view of the city. The sun was beginning to set, making the view even more beautiful. Surely, it was Kotori who chose this place. It wasn't the first time I was here. If my memory serves, I brought it here sometime when we were little.

"Nnnnn." I heard Tohka to my side stretching. "It's kind of cool, this date thing. I really had a lot of fun."

She looked at me and showed me a smile. "You also had fun, didn't you, Shidou? You've been smiling for a while."

That caught me by surprise. I guess seeing her happy made me smile. As for the date, even though it started out quite hectic, to say the least, I guess it was enjoyable afterwards.

"You could say yes. Anyway, you saw it, didn't you? No one tried to hurt you."

"Yeah, everyone was kind. Honestly, even now I can't believe it." Her expression twisted into a self-loathing smile. "That there are so many humans who do not reject me, who do not deny my existence... That mecha-mecha squad... Uhh, what are they called? A...?"

"You mean the AST?"

"Yeah, them. It seems more realistic that everyone on the streets was their subordinates, and they were all together to trick me."

Hearing that made me frown. The after-effects that it had left her all this time being attacked by the AST were really considerable.

"So you think I'm a pawn of the AST, too."

"No, Shidou is certainly someone whose relatives were taken hostage and threatened."

I couldn't help but sweat at that strange conclusion.

"Please... don't let me think of you as an enemy." Her words came out as an inaudible whisper.

"Huh?"

"Nothing." After avoiding my question, she turned around to avoid looking at me. She rubbed her hands across her face and looked back at me.

"But in truth, today was an extremely significant day. That the world was so kind, so funny, so beautiful... I couldn't even imagine it before."

"I see..."

"Those guys... the thoughts of the AST, I think I understand a little bit now. Every time I come into this world, I'm destroying something so wonderful."

"But that's not something you do of your own free will, is it?"

"Apparently, the effects of that, I can't control them. But, for the inhabitants, the resulting destruction doesn't change. The reason why the AST is trying to kill me, finally... I understand. Shidou. It's better if I didn't exist, after all."

My frown became even more deep. This was worse than I imagined. The date had the opposite effect of the desired one. Instead of motivating her to live peacefully in this world, it made her want to sacrifice herself so as not to harm the world again.

I am not accepting such a sad conclusion.

"That is not so! You are innocent! Today you appeared without causing any harm. If it happened once, there's no reason why it shouldn't happen again."

"Even if we establish such a way, it does not change the fact that the moment I appear here is random. The number of appearances will probably not decrease."

"Then, stay here. Have you ever tried?" That was the only solution I could find. I forgot to ask Kotori what to do from this point.

She scowled at my question. "But, you know, there's a lot of things that I don't know."

"That's not a problem. I'll teach them to you."

"But I need a place to stay."

"You can come to my house. I don't mind sleeping on the couch."

"Unexpected things could happen."

"I will take care of that when it happens. You can leave it to me."

She was silent for a moment, looking at my determined expression.

"Is it really okay for me to live?"

"Of course yes!"

"It's okay for me to be in this world?"

"Yes!"

She showed me a bitter smile. "The only one who would say that is you, Shidou. No human would ever accept a being as dangerous as me."

"That doesn't matter, Tohka! You have to do whatever you want, no matter what others think! And if no one accepts you as you are, then I will accept you for all of them! I extended my hand to her and softened my expression. "I told you, didn't I? I'm going to save you, Tohka. But I cannot do it if you don't let me."

She looked at my hand in silence for a few moments. Slowly and shyly, she raised her hand and moved it to touch mine.

It was the moment our fingers touched, that my instincts started ringing alarms in my head. Something was really wrong here.

My eyes turned away from Tohka's face to look behind her. Then I saw it. Some kind of projectile was approaching at an immense speed, and was aiming directly at Tohka's head.

I didn't even stop to think for a moment. I took Tohka's hand and pushed her to her right. That took her off the trajectory of the mysterious attack.

Now, I just had to step aside to dodge it. However...

"Guh!" My mouth was filled with iron flavor when a lot of blood went up my throat.

I managed to prevent the bullet from causing a wound that killed me instantly, but that was it. Part of my right side was pierced.

Unlike my former servant body, this living body was quickly weakened by the wound, and I collapsed on the ground.

What happened? I should have realized long before the AST was watching us. I let my guard down, something very unbecoming of me.

Ah, that must be it. It was the date. Because of the times I had fun, I forgot the reality of the matter. If the AST could detect spacequakes, it was very likely that they could detect a Spirit even if it did not cause a disaster.

I overlooked it, and now this happened...

I'm really not someone who deserves to have fun.

I looked up to look at Tohka. At least I was able to save her. But...

"Shi... dou?" Her voice came out completely empty.

Her face went through several expressions. First of bewilderment, then of understanding, and finally of anger. Pure anger, addressed to the members of the AST who were on a nearby hill.

"Wait... Tohka-! Ugh!" I tried to calm her down, but it was useless. What came out of my mouth was blood than anything else.

This made the situation worse when Tohka saw me seemingly agonizing.

"How dare they!? Adonai Melek!"

Her school uniform was replaced by her astral dress, the definitive armor of the Spirits. The space was distorted, the throne appeared along with Sandalphon.

Her shaking hand grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it. Finally, she could no longer suppress her emotions, and let them out.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Her cry, filled with anger and regret, echoed throughout the place. Even space began to tremble as her immense power began to break free unchecked.

"Sandalphon! Halvanhelev!"

Her throne was shattered, and those pieces joined her sword. This one stretched, reaching about 10 meters, being even bigger than Berserker's axe-sword. That was, the true form of her Angel.

"How dare they? How dare they!? How dare they!? How dare they!?"

She hurled herself at enormous speed toward the AST, and swung her sword overflowing with energy. The entire hill was split in two.

I couldn't stay here just dying, while Tohka lost control. The moment she killed someone with her bare hands for the first time, there would be no turning back.

I had to do something. I had to save them.

I started to get up as I could, forcing sheer determination on my dying body. The swords of my inner world manifested in my flesh, plugging the hole in my body. It hurt, but that was insignificant to me. It would give me enough time to be able to do something.

I managed to get up on my knees. My legs kept shaking, so I clenched my fist tightly to supress it.

But suddenly, I began to feel lighter. Something strange was happening with my body. I checked with structural grasp, and found something very strange. My wound was regenerating at a very fast pace.

I looked at my side, and I saw some faint flames protruding from the blades. That must have been the cause.

I didn't have time to find out exactly what this was. Now that I was recovering, I had to do something, and fast.

* * *

On a hill outside Tenguu City, an albino girl dressed in a mechanical suit and a large sniper rifle in front of her could be seen.

She was Tobiichi Origami, and unlike her usual emotionless expression, she was now completely in shock.

That was because she had just killed Itsuka Shidou, the only important person she had left. Although he didn't seem to remember her, she did remember him. Those words that helped her move forward when that Spirit murdered her parents.

The bullet would have pierced the Spirit without her astral dress, but Shidou pushed her and recieved the shot in consequence.

Her eyes were empty of any trace of life. Without her only emotional pillar, she had no reason to go on living.

"Ah, ah. It is you."

Finally, the Spirit came before her. Princess, the Spirit she had tried to kill, and now had gone mad at Shidou's death.

"My friend, my only and best friend, Shidou, the one who killed him, was you."

Her words struck her heart like a hammer. However, Tohka did not care at all. She was going to avenge the death of the only human who accepted her.

She began to frantically balance her weapon. Immense power was released by destroying the entire surrounding area.

The defensive territory of Origami could hardly be maintained, but in her mental state, she did not move from the place.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Tohka's cry was heard again. Her eyes were full of tears.

Shidou's words might have been mere empty promises in the mouth of another, but hearing them from him, she really felt it was possible. That she could live peacefully in this beautiful world. That she could be saved.

But, this girl had killed the person who promised to save her. She was not going to forgive her.

"DIE!"

Finally, the territory of Origami collapsed. Many of her bones and muscles were broken and torn by pressure, and she began to bleed in many places.

It was the end. One more attack, and she'd die.

Tohka gripped the huge sword tightly, and it began to emit a dark glow. She was to release her final attack.

"TOHKA!"

But she paused to hear a voice above her. They both looked up to see a figure they thought impossible.

Shidou, who they had seen die a few minutes ago, was falling from the sky. His clothes were still torn by the gunshot and filled with blood, but the wound was gone. Instead of a dying face, there was a look full of resolution.

After recovering, he had been recovered by Fraxinus. There Kotori gave him a suicide plan to stop Tohka, and he accepted it without a second thought.

Then, they dropped him right on top of Tohka and Origami.

His speed of descent began to slow down, until he grabbed Tohka's shoulders.

"Shidou?" She continued to look at him in disbelief, as if he were nothing more than an illusion.

"Hello again, Tohka." He managed to respond uncomfortably.

"Shidou... i-it's really you?"

"Yeah. I'm back."

Tohka's lips began to tremble. "Shidou! Shidou! Shidou!"

But, despite the beautiful reunion, the eyes of both turned to the sword that emitted more and more energy.

"Oh no! The power..."

"Wait, don't tell me that..."

"I can't control Halvanhelev anymore! We have to release it somewhere!"

Shidou's golden eyes widened. "We can't do that!"

"So what do you want me to do!"

"There is still a chance! Trust me!"

"What do I have to do!?"

Shidou swallowed saliva before shouting out the method Kotori told him. "You have to kiss me!"

"What is a kiss!?"

As he hoped, she didn't know what it was. Well, he just knew it existed, so they were the same.

"We have to put our lips together, or so I think...!"

To Shidou's surprise, Tohka didn't think twice and put her pink lips together with his own. His eyes opened to the new and strange sensations he was feeling, and his mind went blank.

Tohka's sword broke into fragments of light, and her armor also began to disintegrate.

"What!?" Tohka let out a voice of awe. That made her lips wriggle, making Shidou even more attonished.

Both began to fall slowly to the ground. Shidou embraced her instinctively, and turned his back so he'll strike the ground first. He was so shocked, he didn't realize he was hugging Tohka's naked body.

Finally, they landed gently on the ground, and stayed in that position for a few moments.

"Pwua!" Tohka spread her lips, taking a breath, and jumped back.

Shidou, on the other hand, stood in the same position, his gaze was lost with his eyes open without blinking.

It took his brain a few seconds to reboot. When he returned to himself, he rose to see Tohka sitting, with a mysterious look and placing her fingers on her lips.

Shidou stared at her without knowing what to do.

Tohka's cheeks blushed as he felt his gaze on her naked body. "Don't look, you idiot!"

"Oh. Sorry!" He reacted by closing his eyes quickly and putting his hand on his face to cover them up. "Is this enough?"

"No! You're looking at me through the gap between your fingers!"

"That's not true! I'm not-" His response stopped as he noticed something soft pressing against his body.

He opened his eyes and saw Tohka embracing his body. Her head came at the height of his chest. Shidou's hormones came into action this time, and his face began to blush.

"You won't be able to see me this way."

That thought was wrong, in many ways, but Shidou was too busy thinking of swords to calm his livid to say that.

It took a few really uncomfortable seconds for Shidou, until he could hear a weak voice from Tohka.

"Shidou, would you... would you take me out on a date again?"

"If that makes you happy, then I'll take you whenever you want." Saying that, Shidou put his hand on her head and caressed it, a gesture he used to make with Kotori. Tohka closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment.

And so, the nameless hero saved the princess. Despite all the madness he had to go through that week, he managed to save everyone. However, this is only the beginning. There are many more girls who need to be saved by this dense boy.

* * *

**And so this chapter goes. What do you think? In this chapter we have the first kiss of King of Fakers, or at least this version of him. Insert MLG sound effects. It had been planned for quite some time, the good blue screen, or if you prefer, King of has stopped working.**

**Let's talk about differences. As shown in the first scene, Ratatoskr already knew from the beginning that Shidou can seal in his body the power of a spirit. This is because, every time he activates his magical circuits, the sensors confuse him with the fact that the spiritual power sealed in his body gets out of control. The increase in his body temperature produced in the moment does not help**

**Also, the poem's anecdote is not just a filler to replace the Chunnibyo period of the original Shidou. Keep that because it will matter later. If you want to know what that aria is like, you can find it at the beginning of chapter 4 of the story that precedes this one. Anyway, you'll see that enventually in this history.**

**And, would you have liked Shidou to call Tohka Saber? In my opinion it would have been really funny, but it could be confusing in the long run. I don't know about you, but to me, Tohka is a walking reference to Arturia, and her inverse form is practically Saber Alter.**

**As for King of Fakers' thoughts of being rejected by female students, it's funny because in reality, most girls, as seen in chapter one, would agree to go out with him. That will make his interactions with the trio Ai, Mai, Mii different.**

**Besides, you could say that the date with Tohka was more of a contest to see which of the two was denser. Tohka won, but that's because of her lack of general knowledge. Things would be more even with the King of Fakers who didn't know what a date was, that is, before he entered the Fifth Holy Grail War.**

**Finally, I would like to know about your opinion. Any constructive review is welcome, as well as the follows and favs, and motivates me to continue writing.**

**With this, I bid you farewell for now. Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 2: the rainy and shy girl

**See you again, people****. I bring you the next chapter of this crossover. The previous chapter had varied opinions, and yes, I will not deny that the story did not diverge much, but I warned that in the note of the author that I always place before the chapter. Besides, let me explain myself.**

**After reading the novel and seeing the first chapters of the anime again, I came to a conclusion about the Tohka's arc. The plot can be summarized in, the protagonist gets into a supernatural mess, and is dragged into surreal situations and a date. Even if the protagonist changes, especially if they are so similar, the plot is not going to change that much. I mean, Shidou is practically an Emiya Shirou but not so distorted. To change things, I would need to include an external factor.**

**You might be asking, why didn't I do that? Well, apart from the external factor entering this chapter (I drop the bomb like a ninja), I have my reasons. The previous chapter was a warning for King of Fakers. By letting Ratatoskr handle everything for him, the fiasco of the end of the chapter occurred. It went well in the end, but if he hadn't let his guard down, he could have projected a sword and deflected the bullet. That would have blown his cover all along, but Tohka wouldn't have gotten out of control.**

**What I'm getting at here is, while that made the determination to save the spirits of the original Shidou falter, this time what it's going to do is increase Shidou's paranoia. The King of Fakers himself will explain it to you in the chapter.**

**Well, this chapter already presents many more changes in the plot. There's still no action, which, believe me, hurts me more than it hurts you, fights have always been what I like best to write, so you'll have more doses of humor about density. In fact, I'll probably end up changing the category of history to humor.**

**As for the review that pointed out to me that I was underestimating the power of the original Shidou. I never explicitly said he was weak. But the thing is, even if you give a weapon of mass destruction like Sandalphon to someone who hasn't held a sword in his life, he'll be eclipsed by someone as experienced in combat as King of Fakers. In fact, that is a factor that is quite absent in Date a Live, I mean, apart from Ellen, Kurumi, the Yamai sisters, Mana, and if I'm very generous Origami, there are no more characters that have had many battles. I'm still on volume 14, so maybe someone else will show up later. As for Mukuro, let's leave it in she is OP and she is basically the Gilgamesh of Date a Live.**

**Anyway, enough explanations and let us move on to the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, Fate Franchise and Date a Live series.**

* * *

Kotori had just delivered the report on the whole "Princess" affair, or as her brother called her, Tohka, to her superiors. Shidou's achievement in successfully sealing the powers of a spirit pleased them, although some remained wary of maintaining all that power in a human body.

At the moment, their suspicions were not very worrying. However, she could not demonstrate to them her brother's ability to 'revive'. Kotori had to keep that part of the recording in secret.

The motive, in it was seen the wound of his brother being clogged by swords coming out of his flesh. That left her even more alarmed. She already knew about his ability to heal any wound, but that was caused by flames, not swords.

First he manifested a sword at the level of an Angel, and now he manifested swords on his body to sew a wound. The situation had become even more complicated, and she still didn't know where those powers came from. Her only hypothesis was that Shidou sealed the powers of another spirit before he was adopted by the Itsuka family.

He had always been attracted by swords. The strange poem he wrote as a child was a clear indication of this. His first verse was literally _"My body is made out of swords."_ After seeing that video, that poem was starting to make sense, in a really disturbing way.

Still, at that moment, Kotori was thinking about something else.

Despite the turbulent date with Tohka, with Shidou's stress rising to critical levels, she was able to see it again. Her Onii-chan's smile.

In another person, smiling would be a common thing, but when it comes to Shidou, the occasions when he smiles are rare. It hurt her a little that it was another girl who made him smile, but she was still happy to see him smile.

She still remembered the first few days after he was adopted. You might as well look at a stone, you'd find the same amount of expressions and emotions. He wasn't a problem child, in fact, he always helped out at home as much as he could. He just never tried to play and have fun, like any other kid.

Kotori always tried to play with him, and she never got a negative from him. The problem was that she couldn't get his stoic face to change.

In the end, she dragged him with her through the city parks. Being a 6-year-old girl, with all the fun, she ended up forgeting her original purpose. It got late, and they ended up watching the sunset in the park just outside the city.

That was the first time she saw her brother's smile, and what caused it was to see her smile. It wasn't the most dazzling smile, but it was a pure and sincere smile. She thought it was a beautiful smile.

At that moment she discovered that Shidou was only really smiling, when he could make someone else smile.

That day, she got him to open up, and ended up telling her his dream. She would always remember it. Raising his fist to the sky, with the sunset in the background and his smile still on his face.

_"I want to be a hero. One that can save everyone, and make everyone happy."_

If you asked anyone, they'd tell you it was a childish, unrealistic dream. Even so, the sheer conviction in his words made her think that, if it was him, it was possible.

From that moment on, she admired her kind and dense Onii-chan. Even without his power to seal the powers of the spirits, if there was anyone who could save the spirits, it was definitely him.

So, to save her beloved Onii-chan, she would cover up his strange powers at all costs.

* * *

More than a month had passed since the Tohka incident. Things calmed down from then on, and there was no other spacequake in the city so far.

Tohka's powers were sealed in my body somehow. Kotori only explained to me that it had something to do with the kiss, and that it was only possible when the spirit was in love with me. That explained the reason behing the mission to seduce the spirits, but also raised an inconsistency, at least for me.

If I successfully sealed Tohka's powers, does that mean that Tohka fell in love with me?

Honestly, I find that very unlikely. We only met for two days, and even though we went on a date, things happened so fast. Besides, I don't remember doing anything to make her fall in love with me.

Anyway, with her powers sealed, now Yatogami Tohka was a human like any other. She currently lived in a special room at Fraxinus. She enrolled at Raizen High, and Ratatoskr pulled the strings to put her in my class.

When Tobiichi Origami showed up for class after missing a week, she apologized fervently to me. Apparently, she was the one who shot me. I accepted her apology, but the situation was really uncomfortable. In all likelihood, that wound should have killed me, and yet, there I was, alive and completely healthy.

A rivalry arose between Tohka, and Tobiichi. At first I thought it was because they were both old enemies, but, for some reason, I always end up being the focus of their discussions.

Just today, the two of them competed to see which of the cookies they made in home economics I would eat. To try to calm them down, I ate both of their cookies, but it was a vain attempt. Their discussion changed to which cookie I ate first.

To that were added all hostile glances from male students. Even Tonomachi kept muttering something like "damn handsome, you should die right now". I really don't know what I did to make them feel like that.

And here I am, walking to home under the rain, without umbrella. The weatherman failed spectacularly in his prediction, saying that today would be a sunny day.

I believed it too. Until a few minutes ago, the sky was completely clear and there was no sign of clouds. Come to think of it, the fact that it started raining so suddenly was certainly strange.

In the few similar situations I have experienced, it was always the fault of a magus or a dead apostle. But the lack of people running around in panic and ghouls trying to suck their blood, made me think that wasn't the case.

I turned a corner, and stopped when I saw an unusual image.

"Pyon, Pyon."

In the middle of an empty park, there was a girl jumping through the puddles of water. She was wearing a green mantle that covered her completely, with a hood with bunny ears. Her left hand was covered by what looked like a comic puppet in the shape of a rabbit.

To see a girl as young as her, playing all alone in an empty park, while it rains, was already weird. But what really made me stop was the feeling I had when I looked at her.

The power I could feel coming from her was inhuman. The feeling she gave was not as overwhelming as that of Tohka, but without a doubt, she was a spirit.

I stared at her without knowing what to do. There was no spacequake alarm, so she came here quietly, like Tohka did last time. Therefore, the AST should not come to attack her, at least for now.

Should I try to interact with her? Without the support of Fraxinus' crew, this will be very difficult...

No. I can't afford to keep thinking like this. Last time I let them take care of everything and I didn't do anything for myself. The result was that I almost died, and Tohka almost destroyed the city.

I can't keep using the excuse that my experience dealing with girls is almost zero and letting them do all the work.

Absorbed in my reflections, what had to happen happened. After all the time jumping on a wet floor, the girl's foot slipped after a jump, and her face fell to the ground.

Or that's what would have happened, if my body hadn't reacted alone and grabbed her right hand so she wouldn't fall off.

I helped her regain balance, and she looked at me in surprise. She had wavy blue hair, and round eyes. Her age must be similar to that of Kotori.

"Looks like I got there in time. Are you fine, young lady?"

Instead of answering me she started manipulating the puppet's mouth, and I heard a high-pitched voice.

"Yaahhh... Thank you for that Onii-chan. You saved us from a pretty embarrassing fall." I guess she was talking through ventriloquism, or maybe the puppet was some kind of familiar.

"You don't have to thank me. I did it because I wanted to."

"Hoh. Despite being a pervert, I see that you are also quite the gentleman."

Her answer left me a little discomfited. I looked at the girl raising an eyebrow, and saw her looking at her hand with a slight red tint on her cheeks. Then I understood. Without realizing it, I was still holding her hand.

I let go immediately and apologized. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you."

"Hehe, I was just joking. Although you can take it as a service for helping us." The puppet spoke again, but I didn't understand what she meant by a service.

"Anyway, may I ask why you're playing out here alone in the rain, miss?"

"Well, whenever we show up it's raining, and we're usually attacked by these violent mechanic people. It's a surprise that someone is kind to us, Onii-chan."

She must refer to the AST. I guess she must have gone through the same thing as Tohka, but she seems a lot more optimistic, or at least her puppet/familiar.

"I see... So, er..."

"Oh, what a mistake! Yoshinon of all people forget her own introduction! Yoshinon is the name of Yoshinon. Cute, isn't it."

Unlike Tohka, she remembered her name.

"Yoshinon, huh? That's a good name."

"Right? So, what's your name, Onii-chan?"

"My name is Itsuka Shidou, but you can call me Shidou if you want."

"Shidou-kun, huh... That's a great name. Although it doesn't beat Yoshinon's."

I put on an ironic smile at her bizarre gestures. It was impressive to see how she could control the puppet in such a complex way. Either that, or she really was a familiar.

"And what's yours, miss?" I looked at the girl to ask her directly.

She got a little nervous, and I saw her lips move. "...no" A thread came out almost inaudible once.

"Forgive Yoshino, she is very shy." After telling me that, Yoshinon turned to look at her and spoke to her. "Come on Yoshino. If you don't speak louder, Shidou-kun won't listen to you."

"My name is... Yoshino... sir." I could see that she gathered a lot of courage to speak to me.

"Nice to meet you, Yoshino. Also, you can call me Shidou. Sir makes me look old." Well, technically, considering my mental age, I'm an old man. At least, this time I'm not starting to have white hair at this age.

"Then, Shidou... -san." Her real personality was consistent with someone being attacked constantly.

She was still a little uneasy, and Yoshinon spoke again. "So, Shidou-kun, why did you come to us? You don't want to do perverted things to the cute Yoshino, do you?"

Upon hearing it, Yoshino panicked, and the water around her began to freeze. Not only that, in the middle of the air, icicles began to form, with the tips pointing towards me.

"Wait, Yoshino!" I quickly raised my hands in sign that I was not hostile. "I was just coming home when I saw you stumble and I decided to help you."

My answer calmed her down a bit, but the icicles remained in position. I really didn't want to have to fight an innocent girl.

"Is that so? Then, you expect Yoshino to do something indecent to thank you?"

"Of course not. I don't need any reason to help someone who needs it."

The two looked at me for a few moments, until the icicles melted into water.

"Yoshinon thinks he seems totally sincere, Yoshino." The shy girl nodded to what the puppet said.

"Excuse us for suspecting you, Shidou-kun. As I said, it's really rare for anyone to approach us without bad intentions."

"I understand it..." My response was accompanied by a sigh. It's really sad that the AST is trying to kill an innocent little girl, spirit ot not.

"Well, since we're here, would you like to talk a little with me?"

"Yoshinon welcomes a pleasant conversation. Don't you think so, too, Yoshino?" She simply nodded again.

For some reason, it felt wrong for her to just talk through her puppet. I don't know if that's because she's shy by nature, or because of all the hostility that's constantly directed at her. I'm quite inclined to think about the second.

"Then, I'd like to start by asking something. What is the relationship between you two, Yoshino and Yoshinon?"

The one that responded, as I expected, was Yoshinon. "We have always been friends, although Yoshinon is in charge of taking care of the shy Yoshino."

"I see... And what do you think of Yoshinon, Yoshino?" I asked her directly. With their interactions, I was starting to get a sense of what was going on here.

Although she had some problems, she finally found the courage to talk again.

"Yoshinon is... a hero... to me. She always... takes care of me... and has the courage... to talk to others... for me. Even if I am... afraid, she always says... that everything... is going to be fine. And, then... it really turns out well."

Upon hearing it, Yoshinon put her paws in her face. "Don't say those things about Yoshinon, Yoshino. You're going to make Yoshinon ashamed."

"Is that so? But you're talking to me all by yourself, aren't you?"

She seemed to be hit by the realization at that time. Her cheeks dyed red and she lowered the hood to hide her face full of shame.

"Shidou-kun is right, Yoshino. This is the first time you speak to someone, isn't that great?"

Yosinon's presence helped her calm down a bit. It seemed insignificant, but for her it must have been a great step forward to say such a long sentence.

If my thoughts are correct, Yoshinon must be the way she found to talk to others without being ashamed. Correcting that so she can freely interact with other people is not going to be easy.

And for that, the first step is to get her a real friend.

"So, Yoshino-san, would you let me be your friend?"

The park was silent. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of falling drops. There was still no sign that it would stop raining, although that was possibly due to the power of Yoshino.

"How daring of you, Shidou-kun. But don't you want to be friends with Yoshinon too?"

"Of course. I want to be friends with you both. What do you say?"

To my surprise, I heard a whispering voice coming from Yoshino. But, this time, I had reinforced my ears, so I could hear it.

"Why..."

"You said that all the people you met so far attacked you, didn't you? I can't let you go through domrthing so unfair. So, I would like to be your friend Yoshino, so you won't be alone again. So you won't have to depend so much on Yoshinon."

Again, there was silence. I guess this was very strange for her.

"Thank you very much... Shidou-san. I will be... in your care."

"Shidou-kun is a really nice person, huh? The great Yoshinon trusts you to take care of Yoshino. Let's get along."

"Alright. Then, what do you want to do?"

Yoshino timidly raised her right hand. "Can we play... hide and seek?"

"Of course."

We spent a pretty long time playing in the rain in the empty park. I let her win most of the time, but it was worth it. It was almost imperceptible, but I could make her smile.

My clothes couldn't absorb any more water, but at least I left my school utensils under cover. I would have to put the clothes to wash as soon as I got home.

"Well, Shidou-kun, it's been a fun afternoon, but it's time for us to go now."

"Is that so? I guess it can't be helped. Let's find another day, Yoshino, Yoshinon."

"That would be great. Come on Yoshino, say proper goodbyes to Shidou-kun."

"It's been... a lot of fun Shidou-san... I also... want us... to meet again."

With that said, they said goodbye and left the park. When I lost sight of them, I suddenly stopped feeling their presence. I deduced that she 'vanished' and went back 'there'.

Well, that was better than I expected. Thinking of her as someone I want to save, rather than a target to seduce, really worked.

I set out to go home and took out my mobile phone to check the time. At that moment, my face was as white as the sidewalk.

It was past six, I mean, it was almost dinner time, and I had several missed calls from Kotori. It seemed that she, after spending so many days away from home working at Fraxinus, had finally returned. Needless to say, I started racing home at full speed.

In that moment, if someone had looked the street, he would have seen a blur running through the streets at full speed, ripping the water from the ground.

* * *

"What!? You were talking to a spirit!? Are you aware of how dangerous that was!?"

I was in the living room kneeling, with clothes still wet except for shoes and socks. In front of me was Kotori, with her hair tied by black ties indicating that she was in 'commander mode'. Her arms were folded, and she looked at me with a mixture of worry and anger.

And for some reason, Reine was at the kitchen table, watching everything from a distance.

I knew my sister would lecture me when I got home, but I didn't think it was for this reason.

After arriving, Kotori was already waiting for me at the door. She asked me what I was supposed to be doing at that time out there raining like that. I chose to tell her the truth because it was a spirit, but I didn't expect her to react like that.

"I am fully aware of that. But isn't it my mission to seduce the spirits?" Saying that last part of the sentence really felt really weird.

"Still, you should have warned us so that we could support you. What would you have done if she had attacked you? Without the spacequake alert activated, you wouldn't have been the only one who died."

"I made sure no one was around. The way it was raining, the area was deserted. Besides, she was a child of your age and had no hostile intentions towards humans."

"Even though she is a child, she is still a spirit. A calamity. If you had made her nervous, the neighborhood could have disappeared. I told you that Ratatoskr is an organization created to support you, right? If you go alone to talk to the spirit and die, this whole thing won't make sense."

After living with Kotori for so many years, I could see her true intentions. She was not worried about my failure. She was worried about my safety.

I rolled my eyes for a moment. "Is that so? I was told that when I was shot, you were the calmest."

Kotori froze for a few moments. Then she coughed and quickly recovered.

"That was because the wound was not so serious. Your healing ability may not work if your body is too damaged. People die when they are killed, Shidou. Don't ever do anything crazy like that again."

Her serious expression faded, and there's nothing left but pure concern. Making my little sister worry like that, I'm not really a good brother.

On the other hand, she again mentioned that strange healing power that saved my life. I still don't know what it is exactly. The only similar case I encountered was that of Emiya Shirou, but that was because he had Avalon, the everdistant utopy, in his body, and close to him was its true owner, Arturia Pendragon.

I checked my body thoroughly, and found nothing similar, but I did find something that caught my attention.

I let out a sigh before responding. "I can't let you do everything for me. It just feels wrong to leave everything to you. I want to try, too, after all, it was I who decided I wanted to save the spirits."

She stared at me, until it was she who sighed this time and put her hand on her forehead.

"Stupid Onii-chan. Don't you realize everything you've done for me and everyone else? It's impossible to be mad at you." Her words came out as murmurs that I could barely hear.

"Did you say something, Kotori?"

"Nothing! Anyway, go change those clothes and dry yourself before you catch a cold. I'll go make dinner while you're doing so."

"Ah, ah, right. Sorry for leaving it to you, Kotori. I'll do the dishes later."

After saying that, I went to the bathroom. As wet as I was, I would have to scrub the floor where I passed.

I opened the bathroom door without bothering to check if anyone was inside. After all, only Kotori and I are living here currently, and although Reine came for reasons I don't know yet, she was also in the living room.

The sight that greeted me when I opened the door made me stop in my tracks. In the small room in front of what was the bathroom itself, where the washing machine was, there was a girl.

The only description I could make of her was that she was a beauty. With long black hair like night and indigo-colored eyes, she was Yatogami Tohka. She was completely naked, and she was in the middle of putting on her underwear.

Our eyes met, and we looked at each other for a few seconds in complete silence. Her face gradually turned red and she began to stutter.

"What!? Shi-Shidou!?"

Before I did anything, I decided to follow what my survival instincts told me. Just as quickly as I opened the door, I closed it.

I took a few steps back still stunned, and I leaned my back against the wall.

The question that occupied my mind was obviously why was Tohka at my house, just using the bathroom?

All this month after school, Tohka went with Reine to Fraxinus, where she lived in a prepared environment and was checked daily. Not that I agreed with that, but they wanted to be sure that her powers had been completely sealed before letting her live in society.

Then my brain started connecting the dots. If Reine, who was taking care of Tohka at Fraxinus, was here, it was logical that she was here too. Most likely she got wet in the rain and decided to take a bath.

But, that still didn't answer the question Why is Tohka here right now?

The sound of the door opening pulled me out of my thoughts. Tohka poked her head out of the hole, her cheeks still red.

"Did you see anything, Shidou?"

"No. I didn't see anything." Although it wasn't entirely true, I'm not naive enough to say yes.

"Nn..." She left it alone and came out of the bathroom. She was already dressed, but instead of her school uniform, she was wearing one of my gowns.

Being of a superior size, the robe reached her thighs, and showed the skin from her neck to the collarbone. In a way, it was quite erotic, but I forced myself to suppress those thoughts.

"By the way, what are you doing here, Tohka?"

Upon hearing my question, she bowed her head. "What? Didn't your little sister tell you? I think it was something about some kind of training. I was told I'm staying here for the time being."

The mention of the word 'training' made me swallow noisily. I couldn't blame Kotori for forgetting to mention this after what happened before, but for some reason, I had a feeling this wasn't just a coincidence.

I changed into my house clothes, and headed to the dining room. The four of us had a silent dinner, and as expected, my sister took Tohka's appetite into account and prepared several portions for her. Our culinary skills were more or less on par, although she kept insisting that mine was better.

After dinner, as promised, I washed the dishes, and when I was done, Kotori, Reine and I went to Kotori's room.

Tohka was on the sofa in the living room, totally absorbed watching an anime, so we could talk freely about confidential matters.

My sister and I poured each other a cup of tea, while Reine preferred a cup of coffee. As we talked, she kept throwing blocks of sugar into her cup.

"So, could you explain to me why you suddenly decided that Tohka should live here?"

Kotori was who answered me. "Weren't you the one who was against she living locked up in Fraxinus?

"And I still am, but you could have warned me in advance. We'll have to buy more supplies and prepare a room for her."

"You don't have to worry about that, we took care of that while you were flirting with the other spirit."

"I wasn't doing that. I just talked to her and she ended up accepting that we were friends."

Kotori whistled at what I said. "You're really working fast. The next time you find her, we'll have you go to the hotel together."

"No! She was an age around yours! That would be really immoral!"

She just laughed at my reaction. "It was a joke. From the description you gave us, we already know what spirit is her. I just wanted to check if you were a lolicon."

"Well, the reasons can be classified in two parts." Reine began her explanation calmly. "The first part is about... who will continue to take care of her after. Last month, you kissed Tohka and sealed her powers, didn't you?"

Well, even though my mind was blank at the time, I still remembered and quite clear. That was my first kiss, at least as I remember. The feeling was strange, but at the same time, strangely pleasurable.

Ignoring Kotori's mocking smile, I resumed the conversation. "Yes... Where are you going with this?"

"The thing is, there's actually kind of an invisible connection between you and Tohka."

"Oh, you mean the bond by which Tohka's energy flows into my body."

They both looked at me with a face full of surprise. "How do you know that!?"

"Well, if I concentrate, I can feel it." I answered vaguely to Kotori, who had become nervous for some reason.

Maybe she actually noticed? When I searched my body to find what caused these strange regenerative flames, I realized that my bond with Kotori was exactly the same as that formed when I sealed Tohka's powers.

Does that mean Kotori is also a spirit? The evidence was there, but if she really was, I would have realized long before her presence before the appearance of the bond was inhuman. However, she was undoubtedly human and had no magic circuits, at least active.

Here are many things that don't add up. I'd like to think that's not the case and not have to suspect my sister, but it seems my suspicions that I'm being kept in the dark were correct.

When my eyes met hers, Kotori found the window of her room quite interesting to see, and Reine proceeded with her explanation just then. This was really suspicious.

"Anyway, that saves me enough explanations. The fact is, if Tohka's mental state becomes unstable, the flow could revert, causing Tohka to regain her powers."

"I see..." That explained why they were so cautious about letting Tohka into society.

"As you know, she currently lives in the Fraxinus' isolated area. Even though we're usually monitoring her condition, somehow her average stress levels are higher when she is at Fraxinus compared to her levels when she is at school... Besides, she doesn't like daily inspections. Although they are within her tolerance for now, it is difficult even for an expert to know if we could continue like this in the future... That's why, considering the results obtained have been stable, we're going to change Tohka's residence outside Fraxinus for a while... Due to these circumstances, it has been decided that Tohka will remain in this house for the time being, while the special residential building for spirits is built."

Thank godness she was bad at explanations. I rubbed my forehead while processing her lengthy explanation.

"So, in a nutshell, you're telling me that, as Tohka's state of mind is more stable when she's around me, she's going to live in my house, am I right?"

"Yes. Apparently, Tohka hasn't put her trust in another human being besides you. First, we're going to establish a safe place, and then we're going to prove if Tohka can live a normal life."

"Well, I understand that. So, what's the other reason?"

"Ah, that's simpler... It's about your training, Shin."

A little part of me hoped that Tohka had misheard that, but I see that my E rank luck is still the same as always.

"What do you mean by that? Why do I need more training?"

"Shin, we want you to continue to assume the role of conversing with the spirits. That's what this training is all about."

"I know that already. What I mean is, wasn't that damn dating simulator enough?" My left eyebrow trembled a little when I mentioned that trauma.

"Even if you have managed to seal the powers of a spirit, we cannot neglect your training. Although making spirits falling in love is an essential part of your task, later you will have to live with them. Your training will focus on that aspect." Kotori answered me with indifference.

She had a fair point. The only girls I've lived with so far have been Rin and Kotori. One is my current sister, and the other is my former master during the Holy Grail War. In short, although they are or were important persons to me, there is no romantic interest between us.

Still, making spirits fall in love with someone like me, even if it's to save them, feels quite wrong.

"Fine, what do I have to do?"

"Nothing in particular, it's okay not to do anything."

"Eh?"

"The point is that even if you find yourself in a situation of squeezing a girl's chest, you're going to stay calm and be able to act like a gentleman and act accordingly. That's why Shidou, for as long as you live with Tohka, no matter what kind of naughty event happens, it will be better if you can deal with the situation without getting nervous."

While keeping my nerves at bay is something I worked on for years in my previous life, I couldn't help but sweat. If the situation I found myself in before dinner was a warning, I don't want to imagine what Kotori has planned.

"Anyway, Kotori, do you want to take a bath first?"

"You better go first Shidou."

"Well, if that's what you want." Saying that, I got up and set out to go and prepare the bath.

Reine also got up to leave the room. "It's time for me to go back to Fraxinus."

We both left the room, and a chill ran down my back as I saw a perverse smile on Kotori's face sideways.

Just as a precaution, I checked that Tohka was not in the bathroom.

I prepared the bathtub in a matter of minutes and poured bath salts into the water. I undressed and, after washing my body quickly, went into the bathtub completely, sighing.

This was my little moment of relaxation. Until a month ago, I was having a peaceful second life. It was almost like a vacation from the endless cycle as Counter Guardian. I had a chance to have a family, a little sister, and live a normal life.

But I knew this wouldn't last forever. Even if I went on a journey to save them all, rather than finding trouble like the dead apostles, I ended up bumping into them. I have always been a magnet for problems, and being aware of it, I didn't neglect my magecraft.

I know that ending up here was not a simple coincidence. The conditions that must be given for me to be summoned are always that humanity is in danger. Spirits must be that reason. Neither I nor Ratatoskr know where this power to seal the power of the spirits came from, and my only theory is that Alaya has a hand in the matter. Something that doesn't quite add up, because 'she' doesn't usually interfere directly, and her preferred method is to erase the threat.

But, from there to 'reincarnating' somehow? This was not something I expected. And worst of all, if I ended up here, there's a good chance the King of Heroes is also somewhere in this world. The threat of spirits and spacequakes is not something that can be taken lightly, but if Gilgamesh appears to try to burn humanity again, I'm afraid the only one who can face him will be me. No, being a problem of my previous world, it's up to me to solve it.

I don't know how much time I spent absorbed between my thoughts and relaxation, but my consciousness suddenly returned when I heard someone humming.

"Fun fufufufu."

It was definitely a girl's voice. I turned my head immediately to the sliding door that connected to the space where the washing machine was.

There, through the steam and the glass of the door, I saw the blurry figure of a girl with long dark hair.

"What!?"

Kotori should have warned Tohka that I was bathing... wait! Don't tell me! Is this part of the training!?

I practically jumped out of the tub, and almost slipping on the wet floor, grabbed one of the towels hanging on the wall and wrapped it over my noble parts.

"Wait, Tohka! I'm still inside!"

My scream came late. The glass door opened revealing Tohka's naked body. The thing didn't stop there. She ran into the bathroom, running into me, who was right outside the door.

"Guh!"

"Kya!"

My vision darkened after falling sharply to the ground. I noticed a soft sensation on my face, apart from Tohka's weight on my body.

"Muh!" I tried to tell her to back off, but my mouth was covered by whatever produced that soft feeling.

She finally reacted. "Shidou!? What are you doing here?" After shouting, she quickly jumped away from me.

Then I could see what was on my face a few seconds ago. It was her breasts. My cheeks started to warm up after the realization.

"Don't look!" Tohka covered herself as best she could, her face completely red and her eyes spinning.

I immediately closed my eyes and covered them with my hand. I got up, and after groping at the wall, I grabbed another towel and spread it to Tohka.

"Cover yourself with this while I dry and go out. Next time, be sure to check that no one is already inside."

"Umu." She nodded timidly and took the towel to cover herself.

Well, this went better than I expected.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, I noticed that the towel around my waist loosened and fell to the floor. My 'excalibur' was found exposed to Tohka's eyes.

Tohka's face became even redder, and I could even see steam coming out of her head.

"Shi-Shidou! Pe-pervert!"

Her fist stuck in my stomach with the force of a truck, and I flew out of the bathroom. If I hadn't unconsciously reinforced myself, now I'd be a red sticker on the wall.

Damn E rank luck.

* * *

After Tohka apologized to Shidou for accidentally attacking him, both had gone to their rooms to sleep. It was barely 11 o'clock at night, but they were both mentally exhausted after the incident.

She was still a little flushed. The image of Shidou's sculpted body still lingered in her mind. Her head was in a mess trying to figure out why she got so nervous in that situation. She trusted him completely, but for some reason, that he saw her naked made her very uncomfortable.

Kotori also went to bed after reluctantly giving the stamp of approval to Shidou. It was true that he remained calm, although his luck, which had always been really bad, caused it to end like this.

Already at midnight, Kotori heard a voice trying to wake her up.

"Kotori... Wake up, it's time."

Still, being 13, her dream was not very shallow. In a matter of seconds, she was already making quiet sounds of sleep.

"Kotori... Kotori, please don't go back to sleep."

This time she reacted and started rubbing her eyes to wake up. "What's the matter, Onii-chan? Come to kiss me good morning? Chuu." She turned her lips out to receive a kiss from her beloved brother.

"Sorry, but I'm not Shin. It's me, Reine."

Hearing that, Kotori finally woke up, and recognized the sleepy voice of the Analysis Officer.

"Forget what you just saw... Reine, what happens... at an hour like this...?" While she was saying that, she groped her phone and turned it on to check the time. It was 3:20.

"The preparations are ready. We will leave the final instructions to you."

"Oh yeah... I asked you to... help me up." That said, she took a lollipop and unwrapped it and put it in her mouth.

It was one with a refreshing mint flavor. The abrupt feeling just woke her up. Next, she picked up her two black ribbons and tied her hair in her usual twin tails.

"I'm awake now. Sorry about that, Reine."

"I don't mind. No delay; this is the report. Shin is in a dream state right now."

"I see. And what about the other members?"

"I told they to wait for the next order. We can continue at any time."

"Let's hurry, Onii-chan wakes up at 5 no matter what day it is."

They both came down to the lower floor with silent steps, and opened the door to the street gently. There were several men in black combat uniforms and ski masks on standby.

"The target is on the second floor. I'm counting on all of you guys."

"Yes sir."

On Commander Kotori's orders, the men entered the house quietly.

Kotori and Reine watched patiently as the men entered Shidou's room. What they didn't expect was that, as soon as they came in, there would be thumping sounds.

"Didn't you say he was asleep?"

"I made sure of it. Shin has light sleep?"

"Not that I know of. He always follows his sleep schedule to a close."

They both ran back up to the second floor. Already in the corridor, one of the men was found, sitting against the wall and totally unconscious. The door to the room was open, and inside they could see all the other men also knocked out, except one.

He was lying on the ground face up, completely immobilized. Above him was Shidou, pressing a knee into his abdomen and gripping the neck of his uniform with his left hand.

"You better start talking now. Who do you work for and what is your goal?"

The man, despite all his military training, began to tremble and babble under Shidou's cold gaze.

"Onii-chan, what are you doing?" The words of a rather dazed Kotori shattered the tense atmosphere.

Her brother had just beat down a specialized squadron from Ratatoskr in a matter of seconds. And also, the lack of alarms through her communication device indicated that the spiritual powers in Shidou's body remained stable.

Shidou turned to look at her, and her cold expression turned to one of relief. "Oh, good thing these guys didn't attack you too, Kotori. And I see Reine is here too. Quickly you have to hide. These people may just be the scout group. I will take care of them. Worst case, I'll distract them while you run away with Tohka."

They were both surprised. Despite the situation, Shidou was completely calm, and spoke pragmatically about how to take countermeasures. His reaction wouldn't be out of place in a retired military man.

"Shin, those men work for Ratatoskr." Reine was the first to come out of her stupor.

Upon hearing her, it was Shidou's turn to bow his head in confusion. "Why would I be attacked by members of the organization that supposedly supports me?"

"They were just going to take you while you slept in Tohka's room."

The room sank into a dense silence. They could almost see the gears spinning in Shidou's head.

"Wait. You're not gonna tell me this was part of the training, do you?."

"That's exactly what it is."

Hearing Reine's indifferent response, he could not help but sigh and put his hand on her face. He got up and set free the poor man who was immobilized.

"You shouldn't do things like this. For a moment I thought that an enemy organization of Ratatosrk wanted to kidnap us." Inwardly, he thanked himself for not using his magecraft to knok them down.

"We didn't expect you to notice them, much less beat them easily. Onii-chan, since when do you know martial arts?"

"I don't know martial arts. I just know where I need to hit. The surprise factor also helped me a lot." That was half true. His unorthodox fighting style confused Ratatoskr's men.

Kotori continued to look at him with suspicion. She knew that her brother exercised daily without fail, but that would not provide such superior combat skills. Her brother was hiding something, but she dared not force him any further. After all, she was also hiding many things from him.

* * *

The next morning passed without much incident. After breakfast, Kotori, Tohka and Shidou went to their respective schools.

For some reason, many looks full of malice pointed to Shidou when he and Tohka arrived in the classroom together. And for some reason, many girls gave a quite sad look. He didn't give much thought to the matter and sat at his desk.

Classes continued normally until lunch. The moment the bell rang, two desks, one on each side, joined Shidou's. They were those of Tohka and Tobiichi.

The eyes of both girls crossed, and they began to stare at each other with hostility.

"Nn... What do you want? You're bothering us."

"That's my line."

In order to avoid another of their usual conflicts, Shidou tried to calm them down.

"Calm down. We can all eat together, right?"

Upon hearing it, the two sat at their desks reluctantly. The three of them took out their bentos and opened them. Origami looked at Shidou and Tohka's bentos, and her eyes opened for a few moments.

The content of the bentos was identical. No wonder. Shidou was in charge of preparing his own bento and Kotori's. It was natural that, now that Tohka was living with him, he would also be in charge of preparing hers.

Origami gave a cold look at both of them, who didn't know why she was reacting like that.

"What? Even if you look at it that way, I'm not giving it you."

She ignored Tohka and asked Shidou directly. "What does this mean?"

He responded with genuine confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"Why are they the same?"

"Because I made them."

"Why did you do that?"

"Because we're living together."

Hearing Shidou's totally honest answer, Origami squinted even more. Lucky for him, no one listened to the conversation.

"Uuu, what are you two talking about!? Don't split up the group!"

Tohka's complaints were interrupted by the shrill sound of an alarm. The spacequake alarm.

Origami seemed to forget all about the conversation, jumped out of the chair and ran out of the classroom. It goes without saying where she was going.

At the same time, Shidou's expression became serious. That alarm meant that he would have to go on another mission, to save a spirit from the endless cycle of violence.

"Attention everyone, it is the alarm... Please evacuate to the underground shelter." The sleepy voice of the physics teacher, Reine, was coming from the hallway.

The other students made nervous faces and began to leave the class in the direction of the shelter. The evacuation was much more orderly than the last few times.

Tohka looked at everyone's behavior in intrigue. "Shidou, where are they all going?"

"To the shelter below the school."

"Shelter?"

Shidou then realized that, apparently, she hadn't been told what this alarm was, nor what to do when it rings.

"Let's leave the explanations for later. For now, let's go there." Tohka looked at her intact bento with a heavy expression, but ended up following Shidou.

"Shin, over here..." As soon as he was out in the hallway, Reine called Shidou.

He approached her and spoke to her in a low tone. "What are we going to do about Tohka?"

"Ah... About that... we'll have Tohka evacuate to the shelter with everyone else."

"Is that okay?"

"With her powers sealed, she's no different now than any other human... Also, if we let her see the conflict between the AST and the spirit, she might be upset to recall her previous experiences."

Shidou nodded in conprehensión, just as a sharp voice interrupted the conversation.

"Come on, Itsuka-kun, Yatogami-san, even Murasame-sensei too! P-please don't stop and stay there! If you do not hurry and evacuate, the danger is dangerous!" It was Tama-chan, and she was very nervous as last time.

"If we get caught, we're gonna end up in a messy situation... come on." Reine signaled Shidou with her eyes and turned to walk in the other direction.

"Wait a second." After that indication, Shidou took Tohka's hand and put it next to his teacher's hand. "Sensei, I leave it to you to care of Tohka."

"Huh? Ah, yes, of course." She replied confused and with her eyes spinning.

"Shidou?" Tohka spoke to him uneasy.

"Tohka, listen. Please, evacuate to the shelter along with sensei."

"What about you? What are you going to do, Shidou?"

"I have something important to do. Go ahead without me, okay?"

"Ah! Shi-Shidou!"

Shidou felt bad about leaving Tohka like that, but he forced those thoughts aside and went with Reine.

Soon after, they were both on the Fraxinus Bridge. It didn't take long for them to grasp the moment of the spacequake. It happened on one of the main streets of the city. Several buildings disappeared, and a huge crater formed. The shockwave devastated the entire surrounding area.

It was terrifying to think that the explosion was on a small scale by standards.

Zooming in on the image, aside from the unexpected rain that started to fall in the area, they could see a little girl in the middle of the crater.

Shidou recognized her immediately. It was Yoshino, the spirit with which he had spoken the day before.

"This is the spirit you established relations with yesterday, isn't her?" Kotori asked for confirmation.

"Yes. She told me her name was Yoshino."

"Yoshino, huh? So unlike Tohka, she does have a name."

A few moments later, what looked like several missiles crashed around the spirit, raising dust and debris.

Like the Fraxinus crew, the AST had also detected the spirit and had begun their attack.

Yoshino leapt out of the smoke screen, and flew among the ruined buildings. The AST wizards did not stay behind and pursued her, bombarding her with bullets and missiles powered with magic.

However, unlike Tohka, she did not defend herself or fight back. She was simply fleeing.

Shidou was frowning as he looked at the images. I had heard her testimony, but seeing it was something completely different.

Kotori realized this. "Then, just for confirmation, are you going to continue your role as negotiator with the spirits?"

Shidou didn't even stop to think about it for a few moments. "Of course. I'm going to save her."

"That's my Onii-chan. Let's start our date/battle!"

* * *

Tohka was really restless. She was in the underground shelter below the school, next to Tama-chan.

Even though she had already spent a month going to class, she was doing it more so that she could be with Shidou than anything else. Everyone had been good to her since Shidou saved her, but he was the only one she trusted fully.

So when Tama-chan explained to her what a spacequake was, she couldn't help but worry about him.

Shidou was out there, in great danger. Her heart was beating harder and harder. Images of him falling to the ground were passed through her mind, spitting blood, with part of his side pierced.

She hadn't seen Shidou smile much since the date, he always put on his stoic face. However, the moment he told her he had something important to do, he put on a face that she recognized. It was the same face he made when he promised to save her. A face full of determination.

"Thump Thump."

Tohka heard the beating of her heart, getting louder and louder. She put her hand on her chest to try to calm down, but it didn't work. She had a bad feeling.

Finally, Tohka raised her head and ran out of there.

* * *

The spirit with the code name 'Hermit', that is, Yoshino, ended up hiding inside a shopping mall. According to the data, her rate of appearance was quite high and she had never attempted to counteract the AST.

And here I was again, in the back of the mall and with intercom in my ear. Again, I was walking to the battlefield. Of course, a peaceful life isn't something that goes with me.

Being inside the building, I would have time to talk to Yoshino without interruption, at least until the AST decided to tear down the building like last time.

At least, this time, I knew better who I was going to meet, so I wouldn't be jumping into the unknown, or so I hope. There was still the possibility that she had forgotten about me when she went back 'there'.

I searched several floors of the huge building in search of her, but that proved unnecessary.

_"Shidou, the sign of 'Hermit' has entered the area."_

She was the one who found me.

"Have you come to disturb Yoshino too...?"

I raised my head to look in the direction in which what I recognized as Yoshinon's voice was coming.

There she was, floating above me upside down, ignoring the laws of gravity. Our eyes met, and she seemed to react.

"Oooya? It's not other than Shidou-kun."

After saying that, she turned in the air and landed in front of me. I was a little relieved to know that she remembered me. In fact, the indifferent expression she had as she was pursued by the AST wizards was replaced by a small smile.

_"You really made great advances yesterday. Her mood meter went up quite a bit when she recognized you."_

"Hello... Shidou-san..."

"What brings you here, Shidou-kun? Did you come to see us again as you promised?."

"Indeed. I'm glad to see you again, Yoshino and Yoshinon. How have you been?"

"Well, you see, those violent people are still trying to hurt Yoshino."

The light atmosphere became heavy instantly. I guess that wasn't the best choice.

_"Hey, don't just stand there and fix it. She already trusts you, so make a move."_ Kotori advised me through the intercom

If I remember correctly, what she meant by 'making a move' was to invite her on a date.

"Well, let's forget about that for now. You're safe in here for now. Since we met again, why don't we do something together? How about we go on a date?"

At this point, I was expecting more that she wouldn't know what was a date, than that she would reject me. Although I didn't completely rule out the second option.

"Hoho! Shidou-kun is really daring. Invite the cute and shy Yoshino out. By Yoshinon it's a yes."

Masking my surprise, I decided to ask Yoshino for confirmation directly. "What do you say, Yoshino?"

She got a little nervous, but she managed to respond. "If it's... Shidou-san, I wouldn't... mind."

"Then, let's go."

She nodded and we both started walking through the mall.

We had a lively conversation. Yoshino asked me from time to time what certain objects or shops were in the area. I suppose, although her general knowledge was most extence than Tohka's, there were still many things she didn't know about the human world.

I received help from Kotori and the crew of Fraxinus on some occasions, but according to them, the results were quite good.

Little by little, I managed to get Yoshino to speak more for herself and not so much by using Yoshinon. It was a slow process, but she was progressing at her pace.

According to Reine's analysis, my theory was more or less right. Yoshinon was the result of a psychological distortion. She ended up developing a second personality to be able to deal with the constantly hostile environment in which she found herself.

Even when I asked her why she didn't defend herself from the AST, her response was simply heartbreaking.

"I... hate painful things... I also hate... the scary things... Surely, those people too... whether it's the pain, or the scary things, I think they... don't like it either. So, I..."

I had to reinforce my ears to hear her speech. I didn't need to be a psychologist to see that it was a subject she didn't want to talk about, but she was filled with courage to do so. In fact, Yoshinon was unusually quiet.

"But... it's because I... am weak... and a coward. If I am alone... I'm useless. I'm... afraid of being hurt, when I can't... do anything... the inside of my head... goes crazy... So I could... do bad things to everyone..."

Listening to her and seeing her made me feel a knot in my stomach. A girl with a heart as pure and kind as she, does not deserve such suffering.

"That's why... I told you... that Yoshinon is my hero... and my ideal... huh?"

I couldn't take it anymore, and I ended up hugging her. It was a primal impulse, as I had done this with Kotori few times

"Yoshino. It's fine. You no longer have to suffer alone. As your friend, I will protect you. I'll get rid of all the pain, and all the things that make you afraid. I'm going to save you!"

She calmed down a bit, and spoke again.

"Thank you very much... Shidou-san..."

_"I don't know if you had this all planned but... this is your chance, Shidou! Her level of affection is almost at its peak. If you kiss her now, you can seal her powers."_

Kotori's enthusiastic voice returned me to reality. My gaze turned unconsciously to her cute lips.

A debate formed in my head. Did I really get her to fall in love with me? I thought it was really surreal. I was just being myself, following my ideals. And anyway, is it really right that I kiss her? Unlike Tohka, she is younger than me.

My reflections were interrupted when I heard a shrill alarm over the intercom. It looked like the alarm I heard the moment I was shot and Tohka got out of control.

_"Shidou, it's an emergency... And probably the worst kind possible."_

As I listened to my sister, I noticed a tremendous malicious intent directed at Yoshino.

My mind assumed that, the worst possible emergency was that the AST had broken into the building.

But this time, they weren't gonna catch me off guard. The whole time I was with Yoshino, my body was reinforced and Kanshou and Bakuya's blueprints were visualized in my mind.

With such malicious intent, for a moment I thought Gilgamesh had decided to finally show his face here. What were only the blueprints of the married swords became the plane of more than thirty swords, prepared to counter the Gate of Babylon.

"Shidou-san?" Yoshino asked confused when my face passed to a dead serious one.

I broke the embrace, and turned to look in the direction all that malicious intent came from, while standing between it and Yoshino.

"Shidou! What were you doing!? After worrying so much-!" The enemy's words were cut off when our eyes met.

Wait, that wasn't the arrogant voice of the King of Heroes. It was that of a girl, and a fairly familiar one. My eyes processed her figure, and what I found was not the goldie with his arms folded and the Gate of Babylon about to shoot an endless rain of noble phantasm. She was a girl of my age, with long dark hair, dressed in Raizen High School uniform and completely soaked.

"Tohka?" I said her name confused. She was supposed to be in the shelter below the school.

The tension around me faded, and I returned to my stoic face, only with an eyebrow raised.

However, instead of answering me, Tohka stepped back with a face that was a mixture of fear and disbelief. She turned and ran out with tears in her eyes.

"Wait, Tohka." My words were completely ignored.

_"Shidou! I don't know what you did to Tohka, but her mood is plummeting."_ Kotori's voice almost broke my eardrum.

Then, my brain connected the dots. Since I thought she was Gilgamesh, I most likely hit her with murderous intent.

_"Don't just stand there and go with her before her powers come back!"_

"Excuse me Yoshino. I'll be back soon!" After saying that, I ran at full speed behind Tohka.

Again it was my mistake. Last time, I let my guard down, and now, being too cautious, at a level of paranoia, I ended up hurting Tohka.

With my previously reinforced legs, it didn't take me long to catch up to her.

"Wait, Tohka! Listen to me!"

"Shut up! I know Shidou doesn't want me anymore!"

"That's not it! Let me explain!"

This time, she didn't even respond and kept running. The aura around her became very heavy, showing that her power was returning quickly. I had to do something fast.

I got close enough to her and I grabbed her hand. "I need you to listen to me Tohka. Let me apologize-"

"Let me go! You don't care about me anymore! I saw you flirting with that girl! She was the important thing you had to do, wasn't she? You decided to side with her and abandon me!"

Huh? Where did she draw that conclusion? I was just comforting Yoshino.

"As I said, that's not so. I mistook you for the enemy for a moment, so..." Imitating Shirou himself when he apologized for Caster's incident, I leaned forward, forming a straight angle and with my head down. "I apologize for treating you like this! I didn't mean to. You're still important to me, Tohka, and that's not going to change. I promised you I was gonna save you, so I'm not gonna leave you."

After I finished my speech, the place was completely silent. I waited for her answer with my eyes closed and my posture kept.

The seconds passed, and I heard nothing. At least, I could feel that her powers weren't increasing.

"Seriously?" My reinforced ears caught a murmur.

I opened one of my eyes and saw that her face was no longer angry, although she was skeptical.

"Dead serious."

She stared at me, until she folded her arms and looked away. "Hmm. If that's so, then what were you doing with that girl?"

I knew Tohka had not been informed of my role as a negotiator with the spirits, and with motive. They didn't want her to be stressed out that I was putting myself in danger every time the spacequake alarm sounded. I didn't quite understand why it would affect her so much, but seeing as how she lost control when I was shot, I had no choice but to accept it.

However, telling the truth was the option I saw the most feasible in this situation. Lying was never something I was good at, which is why I tend to resort to half-truths. Also, the cat would be out of the bag eventually, because, following Tohka's example, I would not be surprised if Yoshino ended up living in my house too.

I took a breath, and I set out to tell her the way things were. "I was saving her."

"Ah? What do you mean?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"She is a spirit, just like you, and she also needs to be saved. I can't let her continue to suffer every time she comes into this world and gets attacked by the AST. She also deserves an opportunity, don't you think, Tohka?"

My response made a big impact on her. "She is like me? She doesn't want to fight either, but she gets dragged into it?"

"Yes. I don't know why, but I have this strange power that allows me to seal the power of the spirits. If I can do anything to change this situation, then why not? Like you and Yoshino, there are more spirits out there who need help. I want to save them with this power, so they can live a peaceful and happy life."

I went a little overboard, but I hope she understands my point.

She lowered her head and started playing with her fingers. "Well... if that's why you were with that girl, then I have no problem..."

After saying that, she raised her head and looked me straight in the eye. "So I'll ask you, just like you saved me, to save them, Shidou."

"That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to save everyone."

Finally, Tohka smiled. I seemed to have managed to solve this mess.

_"That was much better than I expected."_ Even Kotori seemed surprised.

I let out a sigh I didn't know I was holding back, but I couldn't relax as fate managed to get me back into a difficult situation.

"Is that true, Shidou-kun, that you want to seal Yoshino's power?" I heard Yoshinon's voice behind me and turned to look at her.

There was Yoshino coming to us, but for some reason, she was very flushed.

"Yes."

"So... Shidou-san, if you seal my powers... there will be no more painful things... and no more scary things?"

"That's rigth."

"And... what do I have to do?"

I went back to take a breath to get ready. Telling this to a young girl like her feels immoral.

"We have to kiss."

The two girls' reaction could not have been more opposite. Yoshino bowed her head, asking what a kiss was, while Tohka blushed.

"Is that true, Shidou!?"

"That's the same thing I did with you that time, wasn't it?"

"Well, that's true..." After saying that, she touched her lips and became pensive.

I turned to look at Yoshino and answered her question. "We have to put our lips together."

The place was filled with silence, again. Yes this definitely felt very immoral.

"All right, let's look-"

I didn't get to finish my sentence, as Yoshino tiptoed up and put her lips against mine.

This wasn't my first kiss, but I still went into shock again. At least, this time, it was not so extreme and I could notice how a bond formed between us, and a huge amount of prana entered my body through it.

Our lips parted, and in that moment, I remembered something of the utmost importance that I had overlooked. With her powers sealed, Yoshino's astral dress began to fade.

"Shidou-san, this..." Her eyes started spinning as she bent down to cover herself.

This time, I reacted quickly and put my hand inside the jacket of my uniform. "Trace on." I quickly projected a copy of the white mantle I wore during my life to hide my combat suit, and used it to cover Yoshino's body.

"What did you do to her, Shidou!? Wasn't it supposed to be just a kiss!?"

Tohka started shaking me off my shoulders. It seemed like she was angry, but not on the same level as before.

"That's not my fault! Since her astral dress is part of her powers, it disappeared when I sealed them!"

She stopped shaking me, pouting, but she kept staring at me intensely.

Finally, Tohka nodded to herself, and her hands on my shoulders wrapped around my neck. Slowly, she bowed and joined her lips with mine.

To the previous shock, from which I was barely recovering, this one was added. The kiss was much longer than the previous one. The unreality that, someone who the only kind of interaction he had with women was when he helped or saved them, was kissed so often, overloaded my brain.

"Puha..." After ten seconds, she broke the kiss and took a breath.

"Eh?" I couldn't form any coherent response in the state I was in. I was in.

"I'm gonna take this as payment this time... I wonder why. It's just an act of lips coming together... but it doesn't feel bad. And mysteriously... I don't want to do it with another human other than Shidou... Moreover, I don't know if this is right or wrong, but watching you kiss Yoshino, er... how can I put this... I felt bad."

I doubt that even if I was in full condition, I could understand what she was talking about.

"That's why... er, I can't ask you not to do it with anyone else... since I'd be asking you not to save the other spirits... so you'll have to kiss me every time you kiss anyone else."

Even though I was more recovered, I didn't know how to respond to her strange request. Kisses are supposed to be a thing of lovers, aren't they?

"Answer!"

"Yes." Because of the pressure, I gave in. If it was to make her happy, I guess it's okay.

I could hear Kotori's laughter through the intercom. _"That scene was typical of a galge, but anyway, we can say that the mission was a success. Shidou, get out of the building so that Fraxinus can pick you up."_

We did exactly that and went out the back door so the AST wouldn't see us. There, Yoshino could see the sun for the first time, because it stopped raining when her powers were sealed.

Seeing her so happy, I couldn't help but smile.

* * *

It was a few days after Yoshino's powers were sealed. Next to the Itsuka residence was completed the construction of a special apartment for spirits, so Shidou soon got rid of the training.

The days continued peaceful for them, and Yoshino continued to practice so that she could speak without having to depend so much on Yoshinon.

However, things did not go so well at the JGSDF base in Tenguu City. The appearance of the spirits in the city had intensified lately, but they had not made any achievement.

The last time was something really weird. 'Hermit' had been hiding inside a building for quite a long time. What they feared happened, as it seemed that the spirit learned that staying in the building would not be attacked. Then, all of a sudden, the sensors picked up the signal emitted by the spirit 'Princess' inside the same building. They did not know if both spirits would start fighting, so they set off immediately.

But by the time they got permission to tear down the building, the signal of 'Princess' disappeared, and soon after, the 'Hermit' signal also. In addition, the sensor picked up a weaker unidentified signal in the same building, which was even more confusing.

AST members were currently in the meeting room, including Tobiichi Origami. After the last mission, it goes without saying they weren't in a very good mood.

The door to the room opened, and Ryouko, who was the captain of the AST, showed her face. All the people in the room stood up and greeted her.

"Ah... okay. Sit down.." She spoke a little annoyed and stood in front of everyone. "Now, I think everyone is gathered... Well then, I was planning on starting the meeting fast, but... before that, I have some terrible news."

After dropping the bomb, they all looked intrigued. Ryouko couldn't help but sigh.

"The appearance of spirits in Tenguu city is already frequent, and we are under obligation to provide more results, additional personnel have been assigned to join us."

"Additional staff... you say?"

"Yes, a very energetic ace. In terms of using Realizer, it is not surprising that she is in the top 5 in the world. In fact, it looks like she killed a spirit all by herself."

Those words surprised everyone. It was no wonder, it took ten elite members to be able to face a spirit, and that person defeated it alone.

The captain simply shrugged. "Go ahead."

"Yes."

After Ryouko's order, a cute voice was heard. The door opened and a girl came in. All those present raised their eyebrows to her appearance.

She seemed like a normal high school student, and yet she gave off an aura full of charisma and pride. Her hair was blond, almost like golden threads, and it was tied up in a ponytail. Her eyes were red, and it almost looked like her pupils were torn. Her face had an innocent smile, but anyone could say that was just a facade.

"I am Second Lieutenant Takamiya Mana, do well to remember it, peasants."

* * *

**And so this chapter goes. What do you think? As for Mana's new look, I leave that to your imagination. You'll have to wait for the next chapter, although I suppose you have already an idea.**

**This time, Yoshino's bow resolved faster because of the better reflexes of this Shidou, literally. Because Yoshinon doesn't fall out of Yoshino's hand, she doesn't get so nervous and ends up running away. Another fundamental difference is that this Shidou does not tell her that he will be her hero, but will be her friend. The reason for this, if you have read my first story you will already know, and if not, the clue you have in the first part of the chapter. Basically, the definition of a hero for King of Fakers is someone who can save averyone.**

**This Shidou saved himself from getting into the storm produced by the Yoshino's Angel, Zadkiel, but let's remember that before coming here he faced the sword of the rupture, so I guess it makes up, right?**

**In the next few chapters, things will start to get serious. And if you paid attention to the inside monologues of King of Fakers, you can get a sense of where the shots are going to go. Spirits aren't the only ones who need someone to be there for them.**

**The 'excalibur' part is a reference to an old Fate fic that I remember was about a mad academy for heroic spirits. I really had fun with that story, it's a shame it's abandoned.**

**And you were probably expecting that the phrase 'people die when they are killed' would come from King of Fakers, but it was me, DIO- I mean, Kotori. I laughed quite planning that scene.**

**Finally, I would like to know about your opinion. Any constructive review is welcome, as well as the follows and favs, it motivates me to continue writing.**

**With this I bid you farewell for now. Until we meet again!**


	4. Chapter 3: Kurumi and the golden girl

**See you again, people! I bring you the next chapter of this crossover. I will put aside the criticisms of the King of Fakers himself. I'll just say that, before you say that he is just a self-insert with a copy-paste of Emiya Shirou's power, or that he has no history, at least read his story which is the first story I wrote in Fan Fiction _"King of Fakers: saving them all"._ When I said in the prologue that it was advisable to read it, I was not making spam, it was for this very reason. I will not say that you will like the character. There's enough hatred for the original Shirou, of course there would be people who didn't like the iteration I made of him, and I respect any opinion.**

**Moving on from the subject, in this chapter we will start to see less humor and drama about density and we will get to the seriousness, although they will still be quite present. You won't see King of Fakers in action yet, but we're already close to that.**

**Also, in this chapter I also included quite a few references. Without further ado, let the chapter begin.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, Fate Franchise and Date a Live series.**

* * *

"So this is where Nii-chan lives, huh? It's a pretty simple house, but I guess you can't ask much of lowlifes."

That was the eloquent comment the girl next to me made when she saw the Itsuka residence. She had introduced herself as Takamiya Mana. She has blonde hair, red eyes and her age seems to be more or less the same as Kotori's. And according to her, she is my lost biological sister.

With that comment, you'd think she was the typical rich girl from an elitist family, but I knew better than that. Not only was her speech, but also her aura very much like Gilgamesh's.

I couldn't help but sigh. How the hell did I get to this?

The day hadn't started so normal, to say de least. When I was leaving home to pick up Tohka and go to school together, like any other day, Kotori came running and stuck the intercom into my ear. And when I say she stuck it in, I mean, if she had pushed it any further, it would have touched my eardrum.

According to her, I was going to do a training to learn to deal with Tohka's jealousy, because supposedly, when I interact with other girls, her stress level increases. Something that doesn't add up in my mind.

I mean, the only girls I often interact with are her, Kotori, Yoshino, and sometimes, Reine. The four of them are very close to Tohka.

Well, there's also Origami, who these days began to insist that I call her by her name, and as she always stared at my bento and Tohka's, I ended up preparing one for her too.

That day I could see the closest thing to what could be called joy coming from her. In the middle of class, she jumped with her fist pointing upwards, what looked even weirder because her face remained as stoic as always.

And now that I think about it, there were also the girls who asked me for favors at school. Just yesterday, I repaired the literature club heater at the request of its president, Monica-sempai. They wanted to make up for it with some cupcakes, but I politely rejected them. I didn't expect any compensation in the first place.

Anyway, the 'training' consisted in that, on the way to school, several female members of Ratatoskr would bump into me, causing what Kotori used to describe as a galge event.

Honestly, I don't know how I managed to get away unscathed, and above all, avoid the punishment Kotori had prepared. I don't know where she got it, but she had an audio from when I was practicing the steps of my tracing.

If that got out, I would certainly stop being the Fake Janitor and become a chunnibyo, and a pretty nerd one.

When classes began, Tama-chan announced that a transfer student would join our class from today. Upon confirming that it was a girl, the male student released what could only be described as "roars of war beasts". For a moment I thought that a dead apostle had turned them into Ghouls.

The girl in question came in and introduced herself as Tokisaki Kurumi. She had black hair, with fringes on her left long enough to cover her eye. Her right eye, the visible one, was of a blood red color, and her skin was white as porcelain. Her beauty was undeniable, at a supernatural level.

If it weren't for the fact that red eyes are much more common in this world, I'd think my previous paranoid theory was actually true, and she was the dead apostle. The power she gave off was not human, but it was not as overwhelming as that of Tohka or Yoshino. Also her aura was very ominous, like that of a true descendant of Crimson Moon.

Well, I didn't have to give it much thought when, at the end of her presentation, she literally said "I'm a spirit."

Normal people just thought she was a chunnibyo. Origami next to me started giving off killing intent, and I just kept my poker face.

During the lunch break, I pretended to go to the bathroom and called Kotori to see if she could get anything out of this so-called spirit. To add to the matter, the teachers warned us that several disappearances of people in this city had recently been reported.

Either there was a lunatic out there, or at worst, it was an incident like the 'gas leaks' that Rin and I treated during the Holy Grail War.

And in the afternoon, with the intercom in my ear, well, it just didn't move from there all morning, I offered to take Kurumi on an impromptu tour of the school.

The situation was ankward, to say the least. She was, like, very aggressive... in the sense that it seemed like she was the one trying to seduce me.

On the outside she looked like a bold girl, trying to flirt with me, which was strange enough, but her ominous aura was still there. Her eyes were fixed on me at all times and her smile did not convey much comfort to me.

From my point of view, she was playing with her prey.

It got to a point where I had a set of 6 Black Keys traced and hidden in the sleeves of my shirt. They were the weapons favored by the executioners of that sect called Holy Church, and although I didn't see him using them, surely that sinister priest would also have some of them. But if I said they weren't useful weapons, I'd be lying.

Luckily, Origami and Tohka showed up and joined us. I have no doubt that, if I had stayed more time alone with Kurumi, there was a good chance I would have had to use my blades.

When we finished, Tohka and I went to buy the ingredients for dinner tonight. She had become addicted to my food, so she always came to our house for dinner.

I guess practicing reinforcement on food wasn't the best of ideas, but it's about as little as I had on hand. I couldn't just show up at home with a bag full of junk and tell my sister "hey Kotori, I'm gonna take this up to my room to practice my magecraft. Ah, by the way, I'm a magus."

Where were we at... ah right, now we come to the moment I met Mana. That was a scene… let's leave it in unique.

Good thing the street was empty, because people would have hallucinated to see a primary school girl running at me from behind, and performing a splendid flying kick pointing at my head, while shouting "DIVINE PUNISHMENT!"

If it weren't for that last, and because I heard her footsteps, I wouldn't have dodged her attack, and yet, her slipper grazed my ear.

After landing in front of me and Tohka, the first thing she said was "As expected of Nii-chan, you were able to dodge my imouto kick."

After the presentations, she put a number in the middle of the street saying that I was Origami's boyfriend and was cheating on her with Tohka. That wasn't only absurd, but it reminded me of that trauma when I was forced to confess to her.

Yeah, this surely was the craziest day I've ever lived. My theory that some superior entity was pulling the strings somehow began to gain strength in a disturbing way. Either that, or my E-rank luck was very inspired today.

I opened the door of my house without having to use my key. As I expected, Kotori was already waiting for us in the lobby, arms folded and in 'commander mode'.

"Welcome back, _Onii-chan._" The way she remarked on the last word was chilling.

"I'm home..." The way my voice came out, I looked like a salaryman who spent the whole week locked up in the office.

"And who is she supposed to be?" I assumed that was more so as not to arouse suspicion than anything else. She had surely heard everything through the intercom.

Mana stared at her for a few moments, until she placed a malicious smile and approached Kotori.

"Oh, so Nii-chan is in your care! It is a pleasure to meet you, I'm Takamiya Mana. Nii-chan's _sister_." As she said, she took her hands and shook them too much.

When Kotori came out of shock, she sighed through her nose and took her to the living room. There were already cups of tea and snacks. Everything was planned and prepared.

"So, Mana, you say you're Shidou's sister, right?"

"That's right."

"My name is Itsuka Kotori, and _I'm_ also Shidou's _sister_."

For some reason, the tension in the room just kept growing. They both had smiles on their faces, although it didn't take much brains to know they were forced.

"Oh, so you're my Aneue?"

"No! I'm not!"

"My apologies. Then I'll call you imouto."

"Who the hell told you I'm your little sister!?"

Mana could barely contain her laughter. I could tell she was enjoying this.

Worst of all, with the lack of my childhood memories, the possibility that she was telling the truth was plausible.

"So, Mana, how are you so sure you're my sister?" I decided to ask the question myself to speed things up.

"Well, I honestly have no recollection of the past."

"What is that?" Kotori's reaction wasn't out of place. It was a pretty weird coincidence that we were both amnesics. "How much of your past did you lose?"

"I only have memories of two or three years ago." After saying that, she took out a silver locket from her black and white tracksuit, and opened it to show us a picture of her and me in what would be kindergarten.

"Wait a minute. At that age, Shidou had already been adopted by the Itsuka." What she said was true, but the weirdest thing was, we were both smiling, like we were having a great time.

"Ah, now that you mention it it's true. It's amazing, isn't it."

"Amazing you say... Couldn't it be a person who looks like Shidou? In addition, the only thing you resemble is a little in the facial features."

"No, there is no mistake about it. He is my Nii-chan."

"What do you base that on?"

"It is because we are bound by an unbreakable bond. The bond between brothers." As she said that, she hit her chest with pride.

Kotori simply rolled her eyes, picking up a rice cookie and taking a bite. Mana continued to speak passionately, ignoring Kotori's half-hearted reaction.

"I was surprised myself. When I saw Nii-chan, I went into shock, my heart began to beat and I didn't know what to do."

I felt that she was now laughing at me instead of Kotori. I'm sure that kick would easily have broken a normal person's neck.

"This is love at first sight. Kotori-chan, I'm gonna take Shidou!"

"In your dreams!" Kotori practically jumped out of the chair. After coughing a little, he spoke again in a normal tone.

"Whatever. It's disturbing that you show up out of nowhere, say you're Onii-chan's sister with such vague reasons, and suddenly want to take him away."

"I have no intention of taking him away. I was only mocking you."

Kotori's eyebrow trembled for a few moments.

"Knowing that Nii-chan was accepted into a family, I am happy. I am happy to know that he now has a happy life."

"What is this? You seem to know a lot about him."

"Well... I have some fuzzy memory of him being taken somewhere. I was pretty worried about his well-being, but now that I know he's adopted and he's got another cute little sister, I can relax now."

For a moment there, she stopped to think what she was going to say. I couldn't discern how much of that was true, but I had to give her that, if she was lying, she was a good actress. However, Kotori blushed and looked away.

"What happens with you? Don't say things like that so suddenly."

"Well, of course, you _can't_ surpass the real sister."

The cookie in Kotori's hand shattered. Rather, it literally exploded. I could even see that the pieces had been burned.

"So that's how it is, huh?"

"Yeah, you can't beat the blood bonds."

"Heh, but isn't there a saying that 'a close relative is useless away compared to a nearby neighbor'?"

Mana's smile was marked even more. "Heh, even so, a mere imitation can't stand up against the original."

The thing was turning on more and more. I could sense real murderous intent coming from both of them.

"I have spent more time with him! I have more sister points!"

"You are still a stranger! Blood bonds are the most important thing! Our bond has transcended space and time!"

"What good are blood bonds if you can't marry him!"

"Eh?"

Mana and I were puzzled by that. Kotori's cheeks matched her hair.

"A-anyway, I'm the younger sister here!"

"What is that!? I am the original article here!"

They both remained silent, giving looks as sharp as swords. Finally, they came to some sort of consensus between the two of them, and they turned to look at me.

"Shidou! Who do you choose!?"

Oh, shit. I had decided to stay away to preserve my mental health, but I guess I just delayed the inevitable.

Wait, this is my chance...

"I think there's no rule that says an imitation can't surpass the original."

Suddenly, Kotori blushed again, but this time, there was a radiant smile on her face. She turned, put her hands on her cheeks and began to whisper things.

"Onii-chan chose me. Fufun. After all those times I told him I wanted to marry him, my feelings have finally reached my dense Onii-chan."

Wait, what? Was she serious? I thought she was just talking about playing, like when we were playing pretend doctors.

I put that aside and concentrated on seeing Mana's reaction. That was one of the phrases I said to the King of Heroes before we started killing each other.

But, to my surprise, instead of getting irritated and start throwing noble phantasms at me, she looked at me betrayed.

"Uhg, it seems that Nii-chan is a siscon, and he has already chosen Kotori for his perverse fetishes."

"What!? No! Heck, no!"

She started laughing at my reaction. Her revenge was really quick.

"Well, I guess it's time to go. I'm so glad I got to meet you, Nii-chan."

"Oh, I'll walk you to the door." Seeing that Kotori was still in her world of happiness, I guess it was up to me.

She was already walking out the door, and yet part of me still thought that she was at least somehow related to the goldie.

"A last question, Mana."

"What is it, Nii-chan?"

"The word "servant" rings bells to you." I threw my last bullet. If she wasn't reacting to this, then I guess this was just me being paranoid. Worst case, she'd just think I had some sort of fetish with maids.

At first, she just looked at me confused, but then, her expression changed completely. Her lips formed a smug smile, and her eyes shone.

"Of course yes, Faker."

It was instantaneous. Just saying that, a metallic clash was heard. Steel cut the air at extreme speeds. The newly traced Bakuya struck a sword that had just left the King's treasury.

It wasn't that one of us attacked and the other fought back. The moment they both recognized their natural enemy, they threw an attack with the intention of destroying the other's existence.

The sparks flew as we both struggled. Murderous intent could be felt in the air.

"Heh, attacking your guest like this it's very rude, mongrel."

"My bad. My hand slipped. And from what I see, yours too."

"Your sister is going to be sad if you attack her so brutally."

"Is that so? What I see in front of me is the guy who tried to burn humanity because he was bored."

The smile of the King of Heroes disappeared, replaced by a frown, and The Gate of Babylon opened on "her" back. The blades of the prototypes of several legendary weapons peeked out, causing space to fill with golden ripples.

I responded to the force with more force, projecting the same weapons behind me and preparing them to be fired the moment "she" fired theirs. We were both so focused on each other that we forgot we were at my house, with Kotori still in the living room.

"Shidou!?"

Kotori's alarmed scream, coming from the living room, pulled us out of the trance. The next thing that was heard was her quick steps and she looked out into the hall with a face full of worry and nervousness.

"Are you all right, Shidou!? What was that noise-!" But all her impetus stopped when she saw the scene. "Eh?"

What was found was me, crouching and pretending to pick something up off the floor, and "Mana", with her hands in her pockets, looking at the ceiling and whistling.

It goes without saying that, the moment we heard her, I discarded all my projections, and to my surprise, Gilgamesh also put all "her" weapons back into "her" treasury.

Well, the timing wasn't very good, but it was better this strange scene, than Kotori seeing more than twenty noble phantasm in a space of less than four square meters.

"Oh, Kotori. I just dropped my mobile phone. Nothing happened to me."

I got up and showed her the device in my hand. I think this was the time I was most glad to have it with me.

She gave me a suspicious look, although the concern was still there. I had trouble keeping up with my poker face. Lying to Kotori in her face felt really bad, but this was indisputable. I couldn't tell you that "Mana" and I were heroes of antiquity who came from a parallel universe, and we were about to resume our fight to the death.

Her eyes turned to Mana. "And what are you still doing here?"

The King of Heroes, surprisingly, decided to stick to the cover and not say something like "you should be thankful to have my presence in this hovel, lowlife".

"I just wanted Nii-chan to guide me to where I live. I just got to this town, and I still don't know it very well."

Surely, "her" high-rank charisma went into action, because Kotori didn't put much of a dent in it. Promising her I'd be in time to make dinner, "Mana" and I left home and started following her.

Already when we were a few blocks away, I broke the uncomfortable silence. "So, where do you want to solve our business?"

"Hum, destroying your fake existence would be really pleasurable, but if I do, my retainer will become quite unbearable."

"Huh? What do you mean by that? Being my sister wasn't a cover story?"

"No. The only faker here is you. Mana is as real as me. Did you really think that I would say that I'm happy that you have a peaceful life? If so, then you're dumber than I assumed."

"Sooo, you mean you're possessing my so-called sister's body?" It was very unrealistic, but with everything that's happened to me today, whatever.

"Quite close. My soul was forced into this body, but it did not overwrite the soul that was already in it. Right now, our existence would be something like what magi call 'Demi-servant'. You could say that the girl inherited my legacy."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Of course not! I, the King, trapped in the body of a primary school girl! It's unacceptable! And I'm not even in the driver's seat! I have to have the consensus of my retainer so I can take control! But as much as I hate it, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. Besides, the girl is quite interesting, especially her strange and mysterious past."

"So it's true that we're lost siblings, huh? Anyway, how did you end up like that?"

"I don't know. The last thing I remember is that your miserable body couldn't resist and you ended up pushing me into the hole created by that disgusting malformation. Then, I resumed consciousness in this body about 3 years ago."

"I see. So we are in the same. Although in my case, it was about 8 years or so ago, just when the Itsuka family adopted me. Well, do you still want to burn humanity?"

"Not really. This world is very entertaining, and the mongrels earn the right to continue in my garden fighting these so-called spirits. You know about them, don't you, Faker?"

"Yes. Are you going to do anything about it?"

"I don't, at least not directly. In the state I'm in, my role is limited to that of an observer. Just to keep this conversation going with you, I'm pushing this body pretty hard, so be grateful, lowlife. Anyway, my retainer already works to get rid of them."

"Then, Mana is an AST wizard?" This was really troubling. If that was true, then, basically, we were enemies again.

"She is a wizard, but not part of the AST, but part of that disgustingl company, _DEM_."

The name didn't ring a bell, but the way "she'ç" literally spit out the name, I can imagine it wasn't an NGO.

"Not only does that mongrel dare to give us orders and laugh in our face, just because he's got that whore by his side with some power, but he's done what he wanted with this body."

"She" went on with "her" ramblings, of which I did not understand much, but the latter captured my attention.

"Is something wrong with Mana's body?"

"You know that magic in this world works thanks to those strange machines, don't you?"

I nodded in confirmation.

"Those lowlifes modified this body to, according to them, increase its magical abilities. Consequently, we are in this sorry state where I can barely exercise my authority, and it shortened my retainer's life span."

That made me frown. With such a description, I would not be surprised if that company were the counterpart of the Clock Tower. Besides, in my old world, implanting a lot of magical circuits into a person wasn't very good, so what they did to Mana must be something like that.

With that, "her" anger was more than justified.

"And what about you, Faker. You didn't stand idly by, did you?"

"Well..." I gave "her" a brief summary of my situation. I know I signed a bunch of papers with Ratatoskr not to divulge anything, but I doubt the King of Heroes will sell me. Especially because of "her" unfettered anger. I don't doubt that if "she" had all "her" power, that company would already be wiped off the face of the earth.

Still... Three... Two... One...

"Fufu... PUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA." As I expected, when I was done, the first thing "she" did was burst into laughter. "She" stopped to grab "her" stomach, and even some tears broke out.

"You, seducing spirits! Wait, allow me to laugh more!" After what seemed like minutes of constant laughter, with "her" body bent and shaking, "she" finally stopped.

"Ah, I haven't laughed so much since. Now I can already say I've seen everything."

I pinched the bridge of my nose to relieve the growing migraine. The few people around us were looking at us with bewildered expressions.

"Anyway, are you going to interfere with what I'm doing?"

"Of course not. It would be a complete waste to spoil such a source of entertainment."

"I sense a but."

"Exactly. Although my retainer agrees, we can't just leave the company. I refuse to make it look like I ran away from that lowlife with the tail between the legs. We'll have to wait for an opportunity. But for now, we shall leave this conversation here."

As Gilgamesh said, we'd already reached the JGSDF base in Tenguu city. Her expression softened, and her smug smile shifted to a more vivid one.

"We will see each other again, Nii-chan." Having regained control, Mana cheerfully said goodbye to me and went towards what seemed to be the residential area of the compound.

I turned around and came home. With everything that happened today, I had a lot to think about. And I also had to cook the industrial amount of meat that Tohka and Kotori made me buy this afternoon.

* * *

At the same night, although in general it seemed calm, in the shadows many things were happening.

Kotori could hardly sleep that night. That same afternoon, just after she had her little moment of happiness when her Onii-chan chose her, she heard an alarm through her intercom. One she has never heard before.

Right after, she heard the alarmed voice of the Fraxinus crew members, and a loud metallic rumble. Shidou's spiritual energy levels had skyrocketed to extreme levels, already comparable to Tohka before her power was sealed.

She went out to the lobby as fast as she could. As she was approaching the door, she could already feel the enormous pressure coming from there, not only the power, but she felt an enormous murderous intent.

For a moment, she was afraid. Not because of the feeling, but because she feared that Shidou had gone out of control.

But, just as she looked out, all the pressure literally disappeared. She met her brother and Mana, in what she could only describe as a rather poor attempt to disguise that nothing happened there.

The excuse her brother gave her was pretty bad. They both knew he barely used his cell phone to call. The possibility that he would drop it was minimal.

But seeing that, although he was acting suspicious, he was the same as always, she let it go. But no one could take the shock away from her.

On the other side of town, hidden in the shadows of an alley, was a high school girl. She was wearing what looked like a classic blood-colored dress. Her black hair was covered by a matching headband with the dress, and picked up on a pair of uneven side ponytails. Her right eye was red, while the other was yellow, with what looked like a drawing of a clock. The hands of this one slowly turned counterclockwise.

She was Tokisaki Kurumi, the student who transferred to Shidou's class, and as she had called herself, a spirit.

Today was her first contact with the boy who, according to her source, had the power of various spirits in his body.

At first she was quite sceptical, as it seemed rather absurd, but she decided to give it a try. And it sure was worth it.

Not only was she able to verify that her source was correct, but she found what could be called an extra.

The boy did not flinch at her provocation, and at all times, she had the feeling that if she attacked him, he would defend himself, and pretty hard. And also, there were moments when she could feel an energy coming from him, and it was not the same as that of the spirits.

Itsuka Shidou was a really interesting man. She couldn't wait to taste him. It was a pity those two meddlers showed up.

And then there was the golden girl. Takamiya Mana, one of the wizards of that unpleasant enterprise.

Kurumi had faced many wizards who tried to hunt her, but that girl emitted a unique aura. Still, she was really annoying.

The first time they had met, or rather, the first time Mana met one of her 'selves', the first thing she said was something like, "I'm going to eliminate a plague like you from this world." At first, the girl still called her by her code name, 'Nightmare', but then started calling her 'lowlife'.

And worst of all, she had the power to back up her pride and arrogance.

As much as she wanted to face her herself and destroy that smile, it wasn't time yet. She would still make them believe that she was weak and could simply resurrect, while still collecting time.

"I guess it's about time." And never better said.

In stories and movies, monsters would always hunt humans at night, and she could see why. The number of witnesses was reduced to a minimum, and over ninety percent of the people were sleeping, completely ignorant of everything that happened under the moon.

With a mental order, the shadow of her shadow began to spread rapidly around her, with the aim of stealing the time of all humans in the block. Just like she'd been doing for a few days while she was finishing preparations to infiltrate Raizen High.

However, things did not turn out as she had expected.

Strange projectiles landed at high speed in her shadow. The effect was immediate, and somehow her shadow stopped in its advance, unable to continue to spread.

"What?" Her voice went out in disbelief. That was something that had never happened to her before.

In fact, she was beginning to have difficulty moving herself. She had to expel more of her spiritual power to get rid of the influence of the mysterious projectiles, but she could not exceed either or the spacequake alarm would activate and things would become more complicated.

A more detailed inspection revealed that they were a sort of 'arrows'. It seemed as if someone had taken a sword with a red hilt, and twisted it to make it more aerodynamic.

Kurumi drew from her shadow her weapons, an ancient-looking pistol and musket, both capable of firing her condensed shadow in the form of a bullet, and prepared to face the mysterious archer.

The 'arrows' kept falling in endless rain, causing her shadow to recede little by little. It looked like they were fired with a machine gun instead of a bow, and they were landing closer and closer to her. She didn't know if they could pierce through her astral dress, but seeing the effect they had on her shadow, they were clearly not normal.

Her eyes followed the path of the twisted swords, in an attempt to find the sniper, and she could not help but blink in disbelief.

The 'arrows' seemed to come from the roof of a building that was supposed to be a couple of miles away. A truly incredible feat.

The only AST weapon with that much scope that Kurumi knew was a heavy sniper rifle, which, in order to achieve its great reach, sacrificed attack power, causing it to be ineffective against a spirit in its astral dress.

However, her mysterious enemy was firing those strange projectiles at a great distance, with great speed and accuracy.

She didn't stand a chance against something like that. Though her weapons had much more scope than a normal weapon, she doubted at such a distance that she could hit, even less if she could barely distinguish the silhouette of her opponent.

She had two options. Step out of her hiding place in the shadows and try to approach her opponent to fight them on equal terms, or retreat.

Wisely, she chose the second option. She could not afford to waste time, in many ways, with a fight against an unknown enemy at this time.

With another mental order, her shadow withdrw to her feet, and she quietly left the place. Even so, before leaving, she managed to see all the 'arrows' break and disperse in specks of light. Something that added even more mystery to the whole thing.

Across town, on the rooftop of one of the tallest buildings, a boy with golden eyes and scrambled auburn hair lowered his left hand, that holding the handle of a huge black bow.

He was wearing a combat suit consisting of a black sleeveless breastplate, grey trousers and steel-tipped boots. Above it was a red cloak, with a piece hanging from his waist, covering his legs on its sides, a sleeve on his left arm, and another piece tied to his head as head band.

It was Itsuka Shidou. With all these missing persons reports, he had decided to go out tonight to patrol the city, and seeing what he stumbled upon, he knew he had made the right decision.

A shadow that sucked lifeforce out of humans. If he hadn't arrived in time, all the people who lived in that block of buildings would have died, or at best would have been in a coma until their bodies could replenish the energy naturally.

He couldn't identify the culprit for this, as they hid themselves really well, but he had his suspicions.

Either it was a dead apostle, of whom he had not yet confirmed their existence, or it was a transferred student who proclaimed herself a spirit.

He didn't have enough evidence to point his finger at her, but it was quite a coincidence that these things started happening right when she showed up.

Shidou let his bow fade away in specks of magical energy and set out to return home.

He could try to pursue whoever did this, but the possibility that he would be led into a trap was feasible. Also, ever since he came home to make dinner, Kotori had been very restless for some reason. He couldn't risk her finding out what he was doing, or she'd probably have an anxiety attack.

* * *

The next morning, Shidou and Tohka attended school as normal.

Though Shidou had much to think about, like Kurumi, his lost biological sister sharing her body with the soul of the King of Heroes, his natural enemy, and last night's shadow he decided to put all that aside, at least while he was in class.

Dealing with all this while maintaining his double life as a normal student was quite complicated. Things were much simpler in his previous life, when he was just a wandering traveler who went around helping everyone he could. And, well, magecraft wasn't such a rare thing back then, nor were there so many surveillance devices.

The morning didn't start as crazy as the day before, but, let's say, peculiar things still happened.

Kurumi didn't show up before the class start bell rang. That itself would not be a very strange thing, but seeing the questioning expressions of Shidou and Tohka, Origami stated that Tokisaki Kurumi would never come to school again..

Shidou did not have a very deep relationship with the albino girl, but he knew that someone as pragmatic and logical as she would not claim something so vehemently without a solid reason.

So imagine her surprise when Kurumi entered the classroom like that, while Tama-chan checked in. Or so Shidou assumed. The only thing that changed from her stoic face was that she frown.

When the first period ended, he received a call from Kotori. She was really serious, and she just told him that the worst-case scenario had happened and that she wanted him to go to the physics lab for lunchtime.

In the course of the call, Kurumi approached Shidou to ask him what he was doing, and by the time Shidou made clear that he was on the phone, Kotori started acting strange, asking several times if she was the one he had actually spoken to.

It was lunchtime, and Shidou went straight to the lab, telling Tohka to start eating without him.

She was sad that he left her alone, but since he was sure what they were going to talk about confidential matters, he couldn't take her with him.

There he met his sister, who had escaped from her school, and Reine. The three sat in front of the monitor, leaving Shidou between the two, a position that brought old traumas.

Things got worse when Reine turned on the monitor, and in this one they could see the cover of a video game called "Fall in love-My Little Shidou".

It took him a while to suppress the urge to trace a random sword and stab it to the monitor.

"Oops. Wrong file. Is this one."

Reine's words made him sigh of relief. However, that Kotori didn't smile at his reaction made him think that the thing was really serious.

Reine manipulated the mouse, and moments later, the screen showed a video. In it was seen an alley, where Mana and Kurumi were facing each other.

"This video was taken yesterday by one of the cameras in the residential area." Seeing how Shidou's eyebrow rose for a few moments, Kotori decided to elaborate.

Those two were not the only ones in the video. The airspace behind Mana was filled with AST wizards.

"Did they attack her without evacuating the area?"

"Well, they must be confident that they can kill the spirit before the thing goes too far." With that response from Reine, Shidou was silent watching the video.

The next thing the video showed was Mana's body being wrapped in light, and when it was dispersed, her tracksuit had been replaced by a mechanical suit of different design than that of the AST members.

Shidou didn't have much trouble figuring out that this was because she worked for such a DEM industry. Though, for a moment, he thought that what was going to appear was a golden armor.

Kurumi responded by raising her hand. Her shadow twisted, and climbed through her body to cover her from neck down. Right after, the shadows condensed into what was clearly an astral dress.

After a few tense seconds, they both made their first move.

The shadows of Kurumi moved again, this time condemning in her right hand, but the process was half done. A cannon appeared above Mana's shoulder rapidly firing a condensed magical beam.

The attack pierced cleanly through Kurumi's stomach, causing her body to fall backwards without strength. On the ground, she began to tremble, but more than spasms from the pain, she seemed to be laughing.

Mana walked slowly towards her, her red eyes shining in the dark of the alley. Her expression was one of indifference, but unlike an emotionless mask usually displayed by someone who had already killed several times, like King of Fakers, she had a slight trace of disappointment.

He recognized that expression as the one that Gilgamesh had as he mercilessly destroyed Berserker.

When she was standing right next to Kurumi, she took her hair with her right hand and lifted it up to look into her eyes. The camera didn't get the sound, but there wasn't much dialogue anyway.

After Kurumi laughed in Mana's face, this one put her left hand in tension, in spearhead form, and a lot of magical energy was concentrated in her hand.

With a quick movement, the hand pierced Kurumi's left chest and remained there for a few moments. The expression of the spirit froze and her laughter stopped.

At that moment, it could be said that she was already dead.

The next thing they saw could be categorized as an unfit scene for children. Mana withdrew her hand, violently ripping Kurumi's heart out. It was still beating. Blood splashed all over the alley, and Kurumi's inert body collapsed.

Mana simply threw the organ aside, turned around and exited the alley as if it had not happened, while her CR unit disappeared and was replaced by the tracksuit.

Kotori watched as her brother did not even flinch at the sight of such a scene. In fact, he had an analytical look at every moment, as if he was taking note of every detail of the video.

She knew that Shidou wasn't a very normal person, but this was quite disturbing.

"So this is why you were so skeptical about Kurumi coming to school."

"Yes. Just as you have seen, without a doubt, Tokisaki Kurumi was brutally murdered yesterday by Takamiya Mana of the AST."

"But that raises a contradiction, since Kurumi came to school today as if nothing had happened." In fact, this explained the bizarre behavior of Origami early on, and what Gilgamesh was referring to exactly with "my retainer is already working to get rid of them".

At least, from what he could see, unlike the King of Heroes, Mana understood the concept of 'moderation', and she didn't simply open Gate of Babylon and fired noble phantasms at Kurumi until she ceased to exist. Although seeing how she killed her, a brutal method typical of Gilgamesh, the difference was not too great either.

"Indeed. Until Reine did not confirm it, I thought you were having hallucinations."

"So, she revived?" It sounded absurd, but after facing Berserker, in Shidou's head made some sense.

"We have no idea what Kurumi's power is and how it works, but that she is alive in this moment is a fact. Therefore, we must continue our battle. If I remember correctly, tomorrow is the anniversary of this school, right? Today you have to ask her out on a date, Shidou. If you're lucky, maybe you can seal her power on the first try."

"Do you really think that's possible?" Shidou's face was full of skepticism. To this day, he did not even know how he could seal the powers of Tohka and Yoshino in just a couple of encounters with each.

Kotori frowned. Her brother's lack of self-esteem was a pretty serious problem. Not only did it make his sense of self-preservation non-existent, it also made him very dense about the girls' feelings towards him.

"As I have said, we do not know the power of Kurumi, so we cannot be completely sure that next time she will come back from the death. And now that Origami, someone from the AST, has witnessed her reappearance, we have time against us."

Shidou nodded. She had a valid point. "Okay. I'll do it."

"We're going to make Kurumi fall in love."

With that, Shidou decided to go back to the salon. Maybe he could eat something before the break ends. Anyway, he decided to keep to himself his observations on how the power of Kurumi had a huge resemblance to the shadow that he found yesterday.

* * *

"Mmm..." Tohka made a pout while looking at the classroom clock.

I was about to finish the break, and Shidou hadn't come back yet. Origami had gone, dragging that new student, but that didn't matter to her either.

She hadn't even opened her bento, something really weird being Tohka we're talking about.

Her stomach echoed. She had eaten nothing since breakfast and was already reaching her limit. But, she kept refusing to eat until Shidou arrived. The food wasn't so delicious if she didn't eat it next to him.

"Uu... uu..." But, as much as she looked at the door facing the hallway, Shiduo did not appear.

Her vision became somewhat blurred, and for some reason she was having trouble breathing. She passed her arm to clean her eyes, and when she looked at the sleeve, it was wet.

Just then, some voices pulled her out of her confused thoughts.

"Huh? Something happened, Tohka-chan?"

"Why didn't you eat lunch?"

"The class is about to begin!"

A trio of female students had just entered the classroom and approached Tohka upon seeing her in that state.

They were Ai, Mai, and Mii. The first one had short blonde hair, tied in a ponytail, which matched her eyes. The second had brown hair and brown eyes, and the third had purple, long hair, with equally the same color eyes.

You could say they were the students closest to Tohka.

"Oh! What's the matter with you, Tohka-chan!? Don't cry!"

"Who did this?"

"Whoever did this, I demand you to show yourself!"

The male student in the classroom looked away from the scene immediately, finding the floor and windows quite interesting to see.

Seeing their overreactions, Tohka hurried to explain them. "No, it is not so! No one has done anything to me!"

"Eh? Seriously?"

"Then why?"

"Was it from pollen allergy?"

Tohka nodded at the synchronized response of the three. "It is Shidou. He hasn't come back yet... and I haven't been able to talk to him properly either... just because of that, I don't know why, I..."

The three students shared looks of skepticism.

"Itsuka-kun?"

"The Fake Janitor?"

"The Raizen Brownie?"

In their heads, the boy who devoted himself to going through school helping everyone he could, without asking for anything in return, wasn't someone who would made a girl cry.

Tohka realized the implications of what she said, and, ignoring the strange nicknames, she set out to clarify things.

"It isn't Shidou's fault! It's just that I, uh..". She, with her limited knowledge and vocabulary, tried to explain her feelings about Shidou. Something really complicated for her, since she didn't even understand them herself. The only thing she realized was that he'd gotten too used to having Shidou around.

"We see..." After saying that, the three girls turned around and put their heads together, as if they were a team planning a strategy for a game.

"Well, that could be seen coming. Every day they come to school and go home together. He even always makes her lunch." While Mii was saying that, her glasses gave off a mysterious glow.

"Actually, as dense as both of them are, they are well suited to each other. Shidou still hasn't realized that most girls who ask him for favors just want to get close to him. The strange thing is that no one has confessed to him yet."

Ai put a complex face to what her friend Mai said. Rather, she was thoughtful ever since she heard Tohka's explanation.

"Yosh!" Patting herself on the cheeks, she turned to look at Tohka again, with a totally determined look. "I will give it all for Tohka-chan! These are tickets to the Tenguu Gojiisou Aquarium. Tomorrow is a day off, so take Tohka-chan and invite Itsuka-kun out tomorrow!"

Seeing the pair of tickets she took out of her pocket, her two friends practically skipped a breath.

"It can't be! Ai, that was the plan you had to finally invite Shidou!"

"Are you really going to do it!? Since that day last year you've been gathering courage to ask him to go on-!"

She gestured for them to stop talking, as she squeezed her other hand with the entrances in her chest.

Ai remembered clearly that day. She slipped and fell down the stairs as she was distracted talking to Mai and Mii. The fall wasn't very high, but she would probably get a bruised, or in the worst case, sprained.

In that moment, she closed her eyes and prepared for the pain. But instead, she felt firm arms grab her back and legs. The famous princess-style grip.

When she opened her golden eyes, she saw others of the same color looking at her directly.

"_Looks like I got here in time. Are you okay?"_

She remembered that her cheeks got really warm and she could barely babble an _"yes"_. He responded by showing her a smile and saying to her _"I'm very glad then."_

Once she was down, the students began to applaud, even her friends, and some also whistled.

Although he stared at them with an eyebrow raised and confused, she kept seeing the image of that smile on her head, and remembering the feeling of those strong arms clutching at her body.

It was a completely sincere smile. He was genuinely happy to have been able to save her.

Since then, Ai began to observe that stoic, socially awkward, but good-hearted boy. His fame as the Fake Janitor wasn't yet very extensive at the time, and ironically, she hadn't realized that they were in the same class.

She had interacted with him sometimes, but not at a level where they could be considered friends.

It was pretty sad to see him alone most of the time. The only one who had approached him was Tonomachi Hiroto, and... let's just say he wasn't the best of influences.

But that changed when Yatogami Tohka appeared two months ago.

She approached him from day one, and they practically never separated. Their personalities were quite different. She is very enthusiastic and energetic, and he is quiet and calm, but as Mai had said, they made a good couple.

That is why Ai decided to leave this opportunity to Tohka, who by her explanation, although she did not realize it, was very much in love with him.

"Don't say any more! Tohka-chan will feel bad..."

Seeing her resolve, despite the pain in her heart, Mai and Mii grabbed Tohka's shoulders.

"Tohka-chan! Please accept this!"

"Ai! Please take it for Ai's sake!"

Tohka could not even understand what was going on, but in order not to spoil the atmosphere, she took the entrances hesitantly. The next moment, Ai turned and leaned on a desk, with some tears pouring out of her eyes.

"Tohka-chan... you and Shidou must attain... happiness... ah..."

"Aiiiiiii-chan!"

"Resist Ai-chan! You haven't lost yet!"

Seeing the anguish of her classmate, Tohka felt that if she accepted the tickets, it would hurt her very much. So, she tried to give them back, but Ai took her hand away.

"No! Tohka-chan, you must not return them. You have to invite Itsuka-kun to go out."

"In-invite!"

"Yes. Just say "let's go on date tomorrow"."

With the word "date", Tohka was greatly encouraged. She thought it would be wonderful to go on a date with Shidou again. They hadn't been out having fun in a while, and besides, she wanted to see Shidou's smile again, something she hadn't seen in quite some time.

However, a frightening thought crossed her mind.

"What if he rejects me?"

All three remained silent, until Ai wiped her tears and rose again.

"I really doubt he will, but just in case, we'll show you a secret, foolproof move, even against someone as dense as cement."

Tohka listened attentively to Ai's explanation, nodding steadily.

* * *

The bell that announced the end of the class rang, and I swallowed audibly. It wasn't the first time I'd invited a girl to on a date before, but it was still very uncomfortable.

I got up and walked towards Kurumi's desk, with the cold look of Origami fixed on my back.

As for Tohka, for some reason she spent the whole class giving me looks when she thought I wasn't looking at her, her cheeks dyed red. I asked her if she was sick and had a fever or something, but she kept denying it firmly.

"Kurumi-san, do you have a minute?" While I was telling her that, I waved her down the hall.

She didn't take long to get it, and soon after we were in a place with few people.

"You want something from me, Shidou-san?"

"Well... excuse me to bring you here all of a sudden, but I wanted to ask you something."

"And what would be that?"

"As you know, tomorrow is a holiday... So, would you like to go on a date with me?"

I really struggled to stay relaxed and tense up. Although she was smiling, with the ominous aura that began to come off when we were alone, I knew that behind that there was nothing good.

She put her hand in front of her mouth and let out a chuckle. "Ara ara, Shidou-san is really daring."

"Sooo, that's fine with you?"

"Of course. It would be an honor."

"Then, tomorrow at 10:30, I'll see you in front of the Tenguu station box office."

"Yeah, I'll be waiting!"

After that, I said goodbye to her and went back to the classroom to pick up Tohka.

Origami tried to approach me to ask me what I had talked about with Kurumi, and choosing the most sensible option, I screamed something like "Sorry! I'm in a hurry", took Tohka's hand and fled the scene with her.

To my surprise, Tohka also insisted on getting home quickly, so even though we weren't running around like crazy, we did go at a brisk pace. Besides, she spent all the way looking at a small paper, her face still flushed.

When we got home, I set out to say goodbye to her because, well, she always went to the spirit apartment to change her uniform for more comfortable clothes, even if she came to my house after that. However, she stood next to my door, staring at it.

"Aren't you going to change your clothes, Tohka?"

"It doesn't matter! Hurry up, open the door quickly!"

She kept pushing me to the door. I opened it with my key, checking that Kotori wasn't home, and I was dragged into the living room.

Tohka made me sit on the couch, tossing my schoolback like a sack of potatoes, and locked the door.

In that moment, I was officially confused.

"Tohka, why did you lock the door? I doubt Kotori will come soon."

She ignored me and pulled out of her schoolback what looked like a couple of tickets. "Shi-Shidou, if it's okay with you..." Her sentence was suddenly cut off, and she put on a face as if she had just remembered something of the utmost importance.

"It's true. I have to do it properly, huh..."

"Eh?"

The next thing Tohka did was to draw all the curtains, leaving the room barely lit.

"Wait! The preparations!"

My questions remained in my throat when she rolled up her skirt to show more of her thighs, then unbuttoned several buttons on her shirt, leaving parts of her breasts in sight.

PLAS!

The next thing I heard was a loud slap sound, and after several seconds of seeing everything in black, I realized that my hand had automatically flown towards my face to censor the view in front of me.

"To-Tohka, what are you doing? I thought we'd done enough work on the concept of modesty!"

In fact, until recently, she didn't know what a bra was for, and she'd been going to school without one.

"Shi-Shidou! Look at me!"

My fingers narrowed as I listened to her command, and my left eye almost came out of its socket with the sight.

Tohka had put the entrances in her mouth, and was approaching me on all fours, mimicking the movements of a feline. Although her face was as red as Gae Bolg, the scene was really erotic, highlighting even more her supernatural beauty-

No! Don't think of her like that! Damn hormones!

Think of swords! Kanshou y Bakuya, Redeemer y Retriever, Merodach, Caladbolg, Durandal, Hrunting, Excalibur, Aestus Estus, Gram, Arondight, Dainsleif, Ascalon, Ig-Alima...

"It doesn't work! Density is a really dangerous enemy!"

I couldn't find logic in Tohka's words, other than that I was called dense, again, and not knowing why. Perhaps it was my reaction, or rather the lack of it, but the situation was so absurd that I could think of nothing but to contain my lividity.

To add fuel to the fire, she took the tickets from her mouth, and put them between her breasts. She reached out to me even more, and put her arm down to highlight them, as if she was inciting me to take the tickets.

At this rate, I would end up going over all the swords in my Unlimited Blade Works, and it was becoming less and less effective.

"Shi-Shidou! To-tomorrow would you go on date with me?"

I blinked several times, looking at the tickets as I started to process what this was all about.

"Ah, a date... and you want me to take them from, _there_?"

She nodded exaggerated in response.

"If it was that, you could have said it sooner. I would have accepted-" My sentence was cut off, while my hand stood a few inches from the entrances.

Right then and there, my brain finished processing the implications of her request. She wanted to go on a date with me tomorrow.

Normally, I wouldn't have minded. In fact, if this helped her with the stress that Kotori said she had accumulated, I would gladly do so.

But... Tomorrow I had already arranged with Kurumi to meet us for a date. If anything taught me that damn eroge, it was that trying to date two girls at once ALWAYS ended very badly.

I prepared to try to convince her that we should do it another day, but I stopped when I saw her face.

"You don't want to... go on a date with me... Shidou?" She seemed to sense my intentions, and she got very sad. Her lip trembled, as some tears leapt.

I sighed internally. I knew that, whichever option I chose, I would shoot myself in the foot anyway. So, I chose based on my priorities.

"Okay, Tohka. Let's go to that date tomorrow for fun." As I was saying that, with my movement recently trained to take the lollipop away from Kotori while she was in commanding mode, I quickly grabbed the tickets, making sure I didn't touch anything else.

When she heard me, her state of mind turned 180 degrees. She showed me a smile brimming with happiness, and her eyes were practically shining.

"Then, tomorrow! We'll meet at ten o'clock at the Pachi statue in front of the station! I'll go change now!"

That said, she left the room at full speed, or at least tried. She forgot the door was locked, and she slammed into it when turning the knob wasn't enough to open it. She laughed awkwardly while this time she did remove the latch, and left the house even faster.

I don't know how much time I spent sitting in the same position looking at the ceiling, but the only thought that crossed my mind was "I'm screwed".

I prioritized Tohka's happiness over my mental sanity. And I don't really regret it.

However, I'm going to have to prepare mysef for the disaster that was going to be tomorrow.

I stood up with a long sigh, and went to the table to see the strange note that Tohka was looking at. There were three lines highlighted.

"1- The female leopard pose."

"2- Use your breasts to hold the inlet."

"3- If those two don't work, then put him down."

Without realizing it, I poured a lot of magical energy on the paper, until it exploded into little pieces like confetti.

As I opened the curtains again to bring back light, I heard the sound of the door opening. I turned around and saw Kotori enter the room with her black ribbons. She stopped to look at me and frowned.

"Shidou, what's with the terminally ill face?"

"Well..."

After explaining my situation to her, Kotori had a hard time holding back the laughter for a few moments, until she got serious.

"I guess it can't be helped. You made the right decision. Tomorrow we'll support you so that the two dates will be a success."

"Ah. At least, this can't go to worse-"

I didn't even finish the sentence, when my mobile phone started ringing.

Kotori and I stared at the device incredulously. You could say that, except for her, our parents and Tonomachi, no one had ever called me.

I looked at the number and didn't recognize it. With nothing to lose, I answered the call.

"Hello." The short greeting from the person on the other side of the line came out in a quiet voice. It took a while, but I was able to recognize who it was.

"Origami? Is that you?"

"Yes."

"When did I gave you my phone number?"

My question was answered with absolute silence. Seconds later, she continued as if I had said nothing.

"Tomorrow is a day off."

"That's right."

"You can't stay alone."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"11 in the morning. I'll be waiting in the square outside the station."

At that time, Murfi's law, combined with my E rank luck, hit me like the shock wave of the rupture sword.

"What!?"

"Date."

"No, wait-!"

"You must definitely come."

Without giving me time to answer, the call was cut off.

My eyebrow started shaking a lot. Slowly turn my head to look at Kotori, my neck for some reason made sounds like a rusty gear.

She, instead of laughing, gave me a pity full look. "Onii-chan, have you ever been told that your luck sucks?"

"Many times, and this won't be the last either." That said, I went up to the wall and put my hands on it as I leaned back.

I really tried, but this time, I couldn't help myself.

Kotori seemed to guess my intentions, and quickly clung to me to try to stop me.

"Stop Onii-chan! You need your head in good shape for tomorrow!"

"Don't stop me Kotori! This time, palming my face isn't enough! Let me hit my head against the wall!"

"No! Calm down, Onii-chan! I'll make sure you get out alive tomorrow, but don't make a hole in the wall!"

With a few teas I managed to suppress my urgent urge to hit the head against the wall.

* * *

The next morning could only be described as hell, or at least, that's how it was for Shidou.

Although Kotori and the Fraxinus crew took it upon themselves to set his schedule to be with each girl, a tight and almost impossible schedule that had him running back and forth at ten-minute intervals, it was he who had to deal with them to make them feel alone for a long time.

It was truly hell. Shidou took back what he said about how the day he met Mana and his natural enemy was the craziest day he had ever experienced. This one took the cake, and by a landslide.

First he went to the aquarium with Tohka, then somehow he ended up in the lingerie shop with Kurumi, and finally he went to a restaurant with Origami.

He had to sneak out of the lingerie shop like a true Assassin servant because the trio of female students attending his class were prowling around. And besides, Kurumi ended up buying the revealing underwear that made Shidou choose.

As he went to lunch with the three girls, he felt that with every step he took, he was going to throw up the food he had pressed into his stomach.

Worst of all was the little number he had to put on every time he had to change girls. The first few times, the stomach ache could do the trick, but when the thing started to repeat itself too much, he had to resort to making a cut on a finger and running away until the flames could be seen healing it almost instantly.

"Ha... ha... ha..."

Shidou leaned on the park bench where he had left Kurumi for the last time.

Even if his current human body was a perfect copy of the one he had in his previous life, and had kept it in shape every day since he came into this world, he could not help but feel tired. Although it could be said that this was due more to mental than physical tiredness.

Kurumi was nowhere to be found, but he was focused on catching his breath.

He wiped off his sweat and asked his sister. "Kotori, there's not a trace of Kurumi."

"_Eh? Wait a minute. Surveillance, any idea of Kurumi's whereabouts?"_

"_The image was cut, Commander. There's probably something wrong with the cameras..."_

"_Tch, why does it have-"_

What Kotori was about to say was interrupted by another crew member's scream.

"_Commander! A weak spiritual signal has been detected nearby!"_

"_Where?"_

"_In an alley near the east exit of the park! This answer is... it can't be wrong, it's Tokisaki Kurumi!"_

Kotori didn't even have to say anything to Shirou when he was already racing in that direction. In fact, as tired as he looked a few moments ago, he was running very fast.

He entered the alley, and stopped in his tracks when he saw the grotesque scene there. Even members of the Fraxinus crew, seeing the panorama through the camera following Shidou, skipped a breath and widened their eyes.

The floor and the walls were literally painted in crimson, the color of the blood. On the floor you could see three things made of flesh and completely unrecognizable, but judging from the tattered clothes above, you could sense what they were.

Without doubt, several people were murdered in that place. A view that would make horror movies with the best special effects look like a show for children.

Kotori immediately looked at her brother, and was surprised.

There was no screaming or anything to indicate that he was panicking or that he was scared. He just stood there, staring at the corpses with a deathly serious face.

The only time she had seen him so serious in her life was when he thought Ratatoskr had kidnapped her.

"Wh...at?" That was all Kotori could say to his brother's unnatural reaction.

As if to answer her, Reine spoke right after. "Although he doesn't seem scared at all, he seems very angry."

Just as she said, Kotori looked more into the picture, and saw Shidou's fists tightened to the point of being white.

"Oh? Shidou-san, you have already arrived?" A lovely voice came from the back of the alley.

There, in the middle of the lake of blood and human remains, was the girl that Shidou had come for, dressed in the same astral dress that she wore on the recording.

In her hand was an antique-looking pistol, about the modern age, and at her feet, there was a person a little older than Shidou's. He was completely white, as if life had abandoned him, and paralyzed, staring at Kurumi and with his mouth open.

"Give me a few seconds to finish this, hihi."

With a chuckle, she pulled the trigger on the gun mercilessly like an executioner. The bullet from the gun, despite its simple appearance, pulverized the head of its target. The body collapsed completely, although more than because it no longer had the strength, it was because of the force of the shot.

As if it were nothing, she turned and spoke to the boy who was glaring at her. "Have I kept you waiting, Shidou-san? I let you see such an embarrassing scene."

"_Shidou... Run away from there quickly!"_

If Shidou heard it, he completely ignored it_. _He stood there, with his uncompromising stance. Even Kurumi looked at him curiously.

Finally, this one spoke. "Kurumi, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and ask you, why have you done this?"

She simply chuckled again. "Shidou-san is really someone unique."

"Answer my question." Shidou's cold tone at the time was eerie, but Kurumi didn't even flinch.

"They were prepared to take a life, so they should be prepared to lose theirs, don't you think?" She turned her gaze away from the battered body of a cat among the entire coven.

"Those people may not have been saints, and they probably were scum, but I doubt they deserved _this_."

"You're too soft, Shidou-san."

"Well? You still haven't answered my question. Why did you do it?"

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"A person doesn't kill another without any motive, spirit or not. Was it because it gives you pleasure? Or, do you have another reason?"

The only reaction he got from Kurumi was that her smile faded for a few moments. If his deductions were correct, he hit pretty close to home.

Meanwhile, on Fraxinus' bridge, the crew watched the scene in disbelief. The sight of Shidou having a conversation as if nothing with the spirit that had just killed four humas with her own was very surreal.

In fact, it looked like they were seeing a psychiatrist interrogating a mentally ill murderer.

"And what will you do if I say it's the first?" Kurumi finally responded provocatively.

The shadows at her feet began to spread throughout the alley, and in her free hand appeared a musket resembling her other weapon. The whole place began to fill with an ominous, oppressive aura that would make anyone piss in their pants and run away from the place.

Yet Shidou did not flinch. To intimidate someone who fought against one of humanity's evils, it took much more than that. He leaned slightly forward and opened his hands to grab a couple of handles that did not exist yet.

The atmosphere of false courtesy faded, giving way to immense tension. The moment either of they made a move, the other would respond instantly. The fight was imminent, and it would be decided at the next moment.

However, something totally unexpected for everyone present happened.

Kurumi's body was rammed into the back wall of the alley. Her blood joined all that was there already, even some parts of her body blown up.

The body fell to the ground with several holes and some golden particles scattered around it.

She didn't even see what killed her quickly and brutally, and neither did the Fraxinus crew.

But Shidou's sharp eyes did see the eight noble phantasms that passed near him and pierced all of Kurumi's vital points.

There was only one person besides himself capable of doing something like that, so he didn't even bother to turn around before he started talking to her.

"Was that really necessary?"

The golden girl dressed in a blue jacket and a short black skirt approached him carelessly.

"That was the fastest method. Also, you were going to end up doing the same thing, Nii-chan, so I just saved you the hassle." As she referred to Shidou like that, he knew he was talking to Mana.

He just gestured at the miniature drone they were watching with his eyes. She caught the message, but shrugged. At least, she had returned the noble phantasms to the treasury quickly.

With a discreet application of alteration, Shidou molded the outside metal of his intercom to cover the microphone. The conversation they were going to have was to be private, and surely rather murky.

"To my knowledge, 'kill' and 'subdue' are two different terms."

"And what would you have done next?"

"Get information out of her."

"Believe me, I already tried, but it's impossible. She seems to don't give a damn whether she dies or not."

"That may be true, but killing her that way is wrong. I want to at least try to give her a chance to redeem herself."

She just sighed. "Nii-chan, she is not like the spirits you have dealt with so far. She is the worst spirit, 'Nightmare'. The death toll she has caused with her own hands is too high for her to redeem. Besides, she'll show up again tomorrow anyway."

"I see..." Shidou was expecting something like that.

Even if part of him wanted to deny it, he knew that sooner or later he would meet such a spirit. Every group has a rotten apple, and the spirits were no exception. That all spirits were innocent girls who needed to be saved was too good to be real, a utopian thought.

"Any idea why she revives?"

"It beats me. I even tried to burn the body, and yet she just keeps popping up like nothing."

That was certainly strange. Not only did she can come back to life, but she can recreate her body from nothing.

"So, you're just going to stay part of this cycle of killing?"

"I'd like to say no, but I have no other solution. At some point, her power must run out. Wasn't it like that with that guy Berserker?"

The heroic spirit with which she shared a body was the one who slaughtered that servant, so it was no wonder she saw those memories.

"Well, then let me try something."

"What are you saying Nii-chan? Killing that lowlife is my duty."

"I'm not going to kill her, at least not if I have a choice. She seems interested in me, in some way, so maybe I can try to persuade her, somehow. If all goes well, you can stop this nonsense once and for all."

She spent a few moments thinking about it, until she finally responded. "Fine. But if you fail, you will not go near her again and you will leave this to me."

"Okay. I leave the cleaning to you."

She simply made a confirmation sound, and waited for Shidou to leave there. When his figure was no longer in sight, her carefree expression broke, and was replaced by one of frustration.

"They really sent him to deal with a spirit like her. Don't they care about him at all? He's just a tool for them?"

Although it seemed that she was not speaking to anyone, a voice answered within her mind.

"_The Faker probably doesn't mind being seen like that. Also, I doubt that that lowlife has a chance against him."_

"Even so, he must also be hiding his true identity. In the eyes of his sister and that organization, Itsuka Shidou is a normal teenager, and yet he was sent to deal with the deadliest spirit."

When she finished saying that, Mana put her hand in her pocket and took out a tiny-sized object, barely visible between her fingers.

It was the communication device Shidou was wearing the day they met, which he dropped when he dodged her Imouto kick.

"_What are you going to do with that?"_

"I'm gonna confront Kotori, and I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind. Even without knowing who Nii-chan really is, she should not send him on suicide missions, and if it is an order from her superiors, I will also make sure that my message is conveyed to them."

She clenched her fist tightly. "Someone like him deserves a rest. And if everyone else insists on denying it, then I'll see to it that he gets it myself."

"_Although I don't share in the slightest your feelings towards the Faker, I approve your resolution, my retainer. I know this is going to be interesting."_

Mana nodded to herself and set out to clean up the whole mess.

* * *

When I arrived in an area without people I was picked up by the Fraxinus.

I had bumped into Tohka and Origami when I left the alley, but I wasn't in the best state of mind to deal with them, so with a half-apology, I left the place.

"It's good to see you're okay."

I turned around to look at who I'd spoken to. It was Kotori, dressed in her military uniform and jacket over her shoulders. She had a complicated expression, for lack of a better term.

"Kotori..."

"Shidou, why didn't you listen to me and run away?" She went straight to the point.

"In that situation, I doubt I could have run away from her. She would have caught up with me right away. So, I tried to buy some time."

"And if Mana hadn't come to save you, what? You would have died hopelessly."

Although she was hiding it quite well, her worry and anguish seeped through her words. From his point of view, what I did was suicidal madness.

"Do not ever do anything like that again. I wouldn't know... what to do if I lost you..."

Kotori's mature, strong girl personality in commander mode crumbled for a few moments, returning to her personality as a normal 13-year-old girl.

She came up to me and hugged me, burying her face in my chest. Seconds later, I noticed my shirt getting wet.

I put my hand on her head and gently stroked her hair. The gesture seemed to calm her down a bit.

Part of me wanted to have a pretty deep talk with her superiors. Even though I got used to my sister working for Ratatoskr, I'm still against it. She didn't deserve to be robbed of her childhood and dragged into all this unpleasant mess.

But, I put aside those thoughts and focused my mind on what I had to do now.

"Kotori, I'll never leave you. Your Onii-chan will always be by your side no matter what."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

I never made promises I wasn't sure I could keep, and in this case, given my suicidal tendencies, I was't very sure.

However, if my presence is necessary for Kotori to be happy, then I will have to start reducing them. Besides, I promised Rin I'd try not to throw away my life just like that, and I am keeping that promise, too.

Finally, she separated and, after wiping her tears, coughed a little to recover.

"Anyway. We'll explain to Tohka exactly what happened, and as for Tobiichi Origami, I guess she'll be fine on her own. Tomorrow at school make sure you make up for it."

Well, I guess I'd have to make Origami a nice lunch for tomorrow. That always seemed to cheer her up, even if it didn't show on her face.

"Regarding Kurumi". She began to walk as she spoke. "If she shows up again tomorrow, we'll have to try and find another chance to take her on another date. If we want her to stop killing people, Mana stop killing her, you're going to have to seal her powers."

"Yes, I will try it."

Listening to me, Kotori stopped in her tracks, and turned slowly to look at me baffled.

I guess, just like I started to understand her after so many years of living together, she understood me, too.

"Shidou, why do you sound so unsure of yourself? Where did all your determination to save her go? Don't tell me that the Onii-chan who is able to face spirits without flinching and full of determination, now is crumbling just because seeing that."

"I said I would try, not that I wouldn't. As long as there's a chance to save her, I'll keep trying."

That was completely sincere of me, but saving Kurumi was going to be very difficult. And I'm still not quite sure about the reason behing her actions of her actions. Even if she pretends that it looks like that, I doubt she's killing people for no reason. Her behavior is too similar to that of a magus, so she must have a purpose behind.

Besides, if she's beyond any salvation, then I'll have no choice but to finish her off myself. If someone has to get hishands dirty, then it's better to get it done by someone who already has them stained.

Gilgamesh's presence may have helped Mana endure that ordeal, but she is still a 13-year-old girl. There will come a point when, no matter how much she continues to convince herself that Kurumi is a simple lowlife who can squash as if nothing, she will end up breaking up. And surely the King of Heroes also knows it.

Kotori gave me one last look, still a little worried, but finally let it be and we both went to the bridge in silence.

It was gonna be a rough day tomorrow.

* * *

**And that's all for now. What do you think? From what I saw in the reviews, you already expected Mana to be related to Gilgamesh. I believe that the explanation given by the King of Heroes himself about his state is illustrative enough, so I will focus on the why.**

**Obviously, the nerf was necessary. Gilgamesh with all his power would literally destroy the plot, as his opinion obout DEM is not the best, and because of him, Mana already knows about what they did to her body and shares his opinion. And he's a logical nerf, I mean, the body modifications increased her potential as wizard in exchange for leaving her body in a pitiful state, something oddly similar to Illya's case. In that condition, even if her reserves allow it, her body cannot withstand the full power of Gilgamesh.**

**But anyway, it is a temporary nerf. Once her body is treated, Mana can use the power of the King of Heroes in all its splendor.**

**Now, let's move on to why King of Fakers did completely replace Itsuka Shidou, and it wasn't the same with Gilgamesh.**

**Believe me, it has its logic, it's not just about favoritism to my character. Explaining it now would be a spoiler like a cathedral, but those who have read the Date a Live novels can get an idea. I'll just say it's related to the different reasons they both have behind their amnesia.**

**And, well, as I was saying before, keeping Mana is a limiter so that the plot is not destroyed. Her personality was greatly influenced by Gil, as well as her fighting style is now much more brutal. In fact, the scene of Kurumi's death, the first, is a reference to Illya's death at the hands of Gilgamesh in the DEEN studio's Unlimited Blade Works film.**

**I never said that the dominant sister in the summary of this story was Kotori.**

**You probably think that saying that Shidou's power that captured the sensor compares to Tohka's power is an exaggeration, and it really is. What the sensor captured was not only the power of King of Fakers, but also all the noble phantasm in place.**

**In case anyone asks, what Shidou shoots at the shadow scene are Black Keys. One may not be able to restrain a spirit, but when many come together, I would say that they can cause some problems.**

**As for Kurumi, her target remains the same as at the Cannon, but this time, she has met someone who is not afraid of her, and who hides something more than just the power of the spirits.**

**The climax will be in the next chapter, now that their next talk will be without masks or facades. And as to why Shidou isn't trying to save the person in the alley, that will be explained in the next chapter. From the way I described the person, you can get a sense of what happened, as I modified that aspect a little bit regarding the Cannon.**

**And for the last, I included a little more than what would be the school life of King of Fakers. Whoever understood the literature club reference, understood it. And I've come to realize that, although I didn't originally intend to make King of Fakers a kitchen expert to differentiate him more from the original Shirou, it seems that in this story he is becoming that.**

**Finally, I would like to know about your opinion. Any constructive review is welcome, as well as the follows, and motivates me to continue writing.**

**Me next up date will be of my other histori "_Similar ideals, diferent methods._"**

**With this I bid you farewell for now. Until we meet again!**


	5. Chapter 4: the sword that pierces time

**See you again, people! Here's the next chapter of this crossover. I suppose the title of this chapter is illustrative enough, especially if you understand the reference. If not, then I'll tell you. Some of you wanted action, and you're going to have it in this chapter, so if you want to get into the setting, go prepare the Emiya theme you prefer, or any OST from Fate or Date to Live. That depends on you.**

**From what I saw, Mana/Gilgamesh had a good reception. I plan on her being much more active in this story than the original Mana.**

**About the question about King of Fakers having a Noble phantasms or mystic code that can make damage the clones and the original Kurumi at the same time, I really don't know. Looking at the official noble phantams, unless I'm missing one that is on the Japanese FGO server, I don't think there's one like that. I'm still thinking abaout what effect Rule Breaker would have on a spirit. But, we can always play the card of using some of the nameless weapons of Gate of Babylon.**

**And as for Shidou being less dense, that is the subject of this story. The spirits are the ones who have to fix Shidou.**

**Without further ado, let the chapter begin.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, Fate Franchise and Date a Live series.**

* * *

I don't know how long I've been sitting on the couch staring at the clock since I got home.

Thoughts about the whole Kurumi and Mana subject didn't leave my mind no matter how hard I tried. I even tried to watch TV for once, but it didn't work.

I promised Kotori I'd try to save her, and I really wanted, but this situation is much more complex than it looked. To get the happy ending, where all are saved and no one would be sacrificed, I have to seal Kurumi's spirit powers. That means I have to make her fall in love with me and kiss her.

I already doubted the chances of that happening with any girl, and it still seems surreal that I could seal Tohka and Yoshino's powers.

But in the case of Kurumi, my doubts increased exponentially.

My train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, followed by a few steps down the hallway.

I tensed up and looked down the hallway to see who had entered the house without even ringing the doorbell. It could have been Kotori, but she had told me she would stay tonight working at Fraxinus.

However, I relaxed when I saw Tohka peeking out of the living room door.

"Can I come in, Shidou?"

That surprised me a bit. As close as we are, that kind of formality was no longer necessary.

"Yes, of course."

After listening to me, she walked up to me and stood next to the couch I was on.

"Shidou... is it okay to touch you?"

This time, more than surprised, I stared at her confused. What's with that question?

"Well... it's fine, I guess." I answered without knowing very well what to say.

Upon my positive response, she climbed onto the sofa and positioned herself between my back and this one. Her arms wrapped around my chest and held me tightly.

"Toh-Tohka, what are you doing?" I was startled to feel the soft and warm feeling on my back.

"The TV said that when someone feels scared or alone, they'll be okay if you do this."

Well, she had a point. Although I was a little nervous about the sudden contact, the warmth I felt from her was somehow comforting.

After a few minutes of silence, she spoke again. "I heard about the incident, from Reine... Kurumi and Mana's. The reason you were so gloomy, Shidou, I discovered it..."

Oh, right. Kotori told me that they were going to explain the situation to Tohka. That explains her caution.

"I see..."

"Shidou, do you remember what you promised me when all Yoshino's stuff happened? If a spirit appeared, you were going to save her."

That was true. Apart from that strange promise about kisses, I promised her that, and I intended to keep that promise, back then. Now, things had gotten very complicated.

"Still, Kurumi, she..."

Before I could explain anything, Tohka cut me off. "She and I are no different..." She paused briefly, and I noticed that she was leaning her head on my back. "In my case, you were there, Shidou. But, Kurumi, she had no one. All the time longer than I did, no one reached out a hand to help her."

Her hug got tighter. I could tell that it hurt her to talk about this, and yet she did it for me.

"If it weren't for you, Shidou, I'd still be in the same state as two months ago, always exposed under killing intent and hostility... I'd probably be just like her right now."

That made me open my eyes. Seeing the cheerful and enthusiastic Tohka every day made me forget what she was like when we first met. That lonely, melancholy girl, who was forced to put on a cold, emotionless mask so as not to break.

She really was right. Perhaps Kurumi's magus-like behavior, and my prejudice to these, prevented me from seeing her that way.

But, there's still something weird about that girl.

"So, Shidou, I beg you. Don't let that incident keep happening. Make Kurumi stop killing humans. Stop the deterioration of her soul..."

"I would like that to be that simple, Tohka. But the harsh reality is that there are people who just don't want to be saved. And if Kurumi is one of them, then I can't do anything. That's why I asked you if you wanted to be saved that time."

The silence continued after my speech. I could feel her tightening her hands.

"You know, Shidou. When you asked me that, I was about to reject you. At that time I thought I could not be saved. And yet, seeing your determination convinced me, that even if it was something absurd and impossible, you would achieve it. The same was when you made me that promise. I really thought you could save them all. And I still think that you can."

...

She was right again. Since when did I care about the chances of success?

My dream is a fantastic ideal full of hypocrisy and almost impossible to achieve, but I never gave up and continued to pursue it because it was a beautiful dream that I felt was worth fighting for.

When the Primate Murder was unleashed by that ancestor dead apostle, no matter how absurd it was, I confronted it, and in the end I managed to save them all.

Why did I practically give up on saving Kurumi? Even if I doubt my ability to make her fall in love with someone like me, impossible has never been a word that has been in my vocabulary.

I guess so many years of peace and no activity have taken its toll on me.

My lips curved upward without realizing it. That it was Tohka who had to make me remember that... I'll have to thank her properly.

"Thanks, Tohka."

"Huh? W-why? Why are you thanking me?"

"You made me remember something important, so I owed you. So it's okay. I'm all right now."

"You don't feel lonely anymore?"

Well, that question was more complicated than she thought. During my life, I threw away every opportunity to have a normal life and relate to other people to pursue my dream. Ever since that person who saved me died, I was always alone, and I died alone on a hill of swords.

However, in this second life, I had the opportunity to have a family. Some parents who gave me love, and a little sister who cared a lot about me. And there she was too, Tohka. Although we met in a very unconventional way, she's been by my side every day for the past two months.

So, if I had to answer that question, I would say...

"No. I'm not alone anymore."

Although my answer to her would probably be confusing, she smiled a little.

"Aren't you afraid anymore?"

"I'm afraid. I'm afraid I won't be able to save them all, like today." My answer made her frown, but I kept explaining. "However, that is normal. We all have fears. The point is to be able to overcome them, and thanks to you, Tohka, I've been able to overcome it."

She blushed a little, and snuggled behind me to hide her face. "Seriously?"

"Yes."

"Then, I will also do my best. If she is truly beyond any kind of salvation, I will protect you."

Now, that was something I couldn't allow. What was the point of sealing her powers if she had to go back to the battlefield to protect me?

"That won't be necessary Tohka. Remember that I can defend myself."

She seemed to object, but stopped when the realization seemed to hit her.

"Oh that sword trick you used to stop my Sandalphon. Come to think of it, you haven't used it since then. What was that, Shidou?"

Should I tell her about my magecraft? Well, she already has seen it, but as innocent as she is, I'm gonna have to convince her not to go around telling anyone. Although now that she has assumed she shouldn't tell anyone about her being a spirit, I don't think that's a problem for her... right?

"Well, that's a secret even Kotori doesn't know, so this will be between you and me for the time being."

Seeing how she nodded enthusiastically, I proceeded to drop the bomb. "I'm a magus."

She tilted her head. "And what is that?"

"Someone who practices magecraft. In short, it's not far from what the spirits or AST wizards do. Take a good look. Trace, on."

To illustrate my point, I traced in my hand a mundane sword that hardly required any magical energy. It was a standard European sword, which by current standards would be of high quality, but paled in comparison to most other swords in my arsenal.

I performed the seven steps slower than usual so she could see the magical energy condensing and taking shape.

"Ooooh. What else can you do, Shidou!?"

Unfortunately for her enthusiasm, the tracing was the most eye-catching, so to speak, of my magecraft. The reinforcement and its variants, structural grasp and alteration, would hardly be noticed. And I'm not uing the mana burst. It's one of my most valuable trump cards, and I don't want to destroy the living room.

However, all her ímpetus stopped when her stomach growled. I couldn't help but laugh a little and I got off the couch when she loosened her hug.

"I guess that'll have to wait for another time. For now I'll start making dinner-"

Just at that moment, my body remembered something I had forgotten with all Kurumi's mess. The reason I wasn't hungry at this hour.

This morning I had eaten a quantity of food that could perfectly fill the stomach of about five adult men. And unlike Tohka, my stomach wasn't a bottomless pit.

Just saying the word 'dinner' made my almost throw up, and I bent forward as I covered my mouth with one hand and with the other I grabbed my belly.

"Eh? Shidou!? Hold on!"

* * *

Kotori approached Reine, who was at her usual post near the commander's chair. She was struck that her usual sleepy expression was now replaced by a frown.

She peered over her shoulder and looked at the screen of the device she was manipulating to see what made her so serious.

The screen showed an image of Mana, and was enlarged to focus on her face.

"Reine, is something wrong with Mana?"

Kotori's question pulled her out of her trance and startled her. As she processed whose voice it was, she turned to look at her commander.

"Oh, Kotori... uh, well... something falls short. But other than that, how is Shin?"

"He was a little upset after seeing someone die and not be able to do anything. I hope talking to Tohka will help him calm down."

"I see... Ah, right. The analysis work you asked for has already been completed."

Kotori's eyebrows trembled for a few moments upon hearing that. She had given Reine some samples of Mana's hair and saliva for a DNA test.

"So... what's the result?"

"Mana is Shidou's blood sister beyond the shadow of doubt."

"Really..." Kotori swallowed audibly. Not that it was something she didn't expect, but it still made her uncomfortable. There was something weird about that girl, but she couldn't put a finger on it.

"Real sister, huh? Then why would she be with the AST?"

"You're wrong." Reine interrupted Kotori. "I did some research on my own, and it seems that's not the case at all."

"What do you mean?"

"She is not a member of the JSDF, but a transferred member from DEM Industries."

"DEM Industries?"

Kotori's surprise was not unfounded. DEM was a UK-based corporation that is known to be the only one capable of producing realizers. All realizers that equip the self-defense forces of all countries are distributed by DEM.

Not only that, but because of their enthusiasm in hunting spirits, they could be considered the enemy of Ratatoskr. It was said that the most powerful wizards were affiliated with that company.

"Wait, that makes it even more confusing. Why is she a DEM wizard?"

"I'm not sure about that. But..." Reine's line stopped when she clenched her fist with what seemed anger.

That put Kotori on alert. After so many years working together, it was the first time she saw her like this.

"What exactly is going on?"

"Take a look at this..."

Reine manipulated the device and it went on to display several numerical data apart from the image of Mana.

"This is..."

"Her body was altered with magic. That must be part of the origin of her abnormal strength. But that has a price to pay. I'm afraid she won't live more than ten years."

"What, that's..."

Realizer units are not perfect, so the human brain is required to compensate for failures in processing capacity. To do this, small devices need to be implanted in the brain. Origami and the rest of the AST must have some bulge like a horn in the middle of their hairs.

However, Mana far surpassed that grade.

"I don't know whose brilliant idea it was to submit her to that process, but I think it's best not to tell this to Shidou."

Kotori bit her lip. She didn't like having to keep hiding things from her Onii-chan. But, her mind seemed to notice something odd in Reine's speech.

"Wait, you said that was partly the reason for her power. Is there more?"

Reine nodded, and showed her a chart similar to Shidou's spiritual wave sensor.

Kotori was even more shocked than before, with the lolipop almost falling out of her mouth wide open.

"It can't be... spiritual waves?"

"As hard as it is to believe, that's what the sensors picked up when she showed up to save Shidou... And after rewinding and running the video in slow motion, I could see what she did to kill Kurumi."

Reine showed her the image, and Kotori could not take credit for what she saw.

"Swords?"

The image showed Kurumi skewered by several swords, each different from the others. And a mundane sword couldn't even scratch an astral dress, so they must have been too powerful to pierce it like a knife cutting melted butter.

That... was disturbingly similar to Shidou's strange power. What exactly did that mean?

Kotori's mind was filled with unanswered questions, as her confusion grew more and more.

* * *

The next day I went to school as usual, and as I expected, I found Kurumi in the classroom, sitting at her desk, as if she had not been pierced yesterday by eight noble phantasms from The Gate of Babylon.

"Oh, Shidou-san. Good morning." She greeted me as soon as she saw me, with a peaceful smile and a reverence.

"Good morning, Kurumi." I greeted her in a flat tone.

"I was very happy yesterday. You have to invite me to go out again."

"Really?"

"Yes, a lot."

I couldn't tell if she meant the date, or the alley incident. She was really difficult to decipher.

"However, I was a little surprised."

"Why?"

"I thought you'd be absent today, Shidou-san, but I see yesterday you weren't just playing the brave."

"Well, I'm sorry I didn't freak out when I saw some corpses. You can say I'm used to it." The hustle and bustle of the classroom meant that my murky line was not heard by anyone but Kurumi.

She, instead of looking at me like I was mentally ill, took her hand to her mouth and chuckled.

"Ara ara. Shidou-san must have quite a few stories to tell."

I stared at her silently for a few moments. Mind games have never been my strong suit, and while I can tell when someone is bad news, I doubt I can get anything out of her by following her game.

That's why I decided to take the approach I've always felt better about.

"Kurumi."

"Nn? What's wrong?"

"I'm going to save you." I attacked head-on.

"Save me?" That was the first time I saw confusion in her face. "You really said something strange, Shidou-san."

"I'm going to end that absurd cycle of murders. I'm not going to let you kill anyone else, and I'm not going to let Mana kill you again."

"Please don't force your values on others, okay? I hate that kind of hypocritical delusions."

It had balls that who was telling me that was the spirit that was out there sucking the life force out of people who had nothing to do with the 'moon-lit world'.

But I made up my mind. Until I fully realized that her soul was already rotten, and she was beyond any kind of salvation, I'm going to keep trying to save her.

"Heh. I'm sorry, but my dream is to save everyone. And that..." I raised my arm and pointed my finger directly at her face. "...includes you."

She frowned. "Then, to see if what you say is true or false, let's test it. Today after school, please come to the roof."

"Very well then."

We took one last defiant look before I went to my desk and we both ignored each other. There was persistent tension in the environment, but it wasn't the same as in the alley.

She challenged me, and questioned my determination to pursue my dream. You could say that my ideals are the only thing I'm proud of.

So, I accepted her challenge. I'm going to show her how true my words are.

* * *

Kotori opened the rusty handle with an annoying face. She was entering the rooftop of one of the abandoned buildings in the south part of Tenguu city.

A place a 13-year-old girl wouldn't normally go alone. There were even people who went to those places at night to see if they could live some kind of 'paranormal experience'.

Of course, Kotori was already up to her neck in paranormal matters, so she knew nothing would happen to her because she was there. And her motive for being there had absolutely nothing to do with urban exploration.

In fact, that very evening was to be a meeting between Shidou and Kurumi, and she should be in Fraxinus in order to support her Onii-chan.

Therefore, for her to be here, the reason had to be important.

"Welcome, Kotori-san." As she walked through the rickety door, a girl's voice greeted her.

The golden girl who had been confirmed to be Shidou's biological sister, a wizard working for Ratatoskr's enemy enterprise, and who somehow possesses spiritual powers. Takamiya Mana.

That girl had quoted Kotori in that place with a not-so-concealed note in her bedroom's window.

Kotori waved at her with a "Hmph" as she looked her from head to toe. She wore casual clothing, similar to the one she wore yesterday, but her face did not have her usual mocking smile. Instead, she had a dead serious expresion.

"Really, what is with this place? If you wanted to ask me out, you should at least have made some tea and pastries."

"Heh, I know this place is deplorable, but I chose it because it's secluded. After all, we don't want anyone to hear what we're going to talk about."

"I see. So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Of this..." After saying that, she put her hand in her pocket, took out something small and threw it at her.

Kotori caught it on the flight, and when she opened her hand to see it, she was surprised. It was the communication device that Shidou used to carry during his missions.

"I just had to tune the signal and I could hear everything. The organization Ratatoskr..."

Kotori's eyebrows trembled. "Where did you get this?"

"It fell off Nii-chan when I greeted him."

"Then..."

"Yes. I know what you do. An organization that uses dialogue instead of force to solve the problem of spirits. I thought you were just a myth, but I see you're very real."

"Then, what are you getting at? You specifically called me here, so you must want something."

"I have no intention of reporting this."

"Eh?"

"But I want you to explain to me why you're sending Nii-chan to face the spirits completely alone and unprotected. Is it that all that stuff about you being his real sister and wanting to marry him was bullshit?"

Kotori frowned at Mana's direct words. She wanted to refute them with all her being, because she really loved her Onii-chan, but she had a point.

"His goal is to earn the trust of the spirit. Do you think that's possible if he comes up with a sword or something like that? He'd look more like a rapist than a trustworthy one. Don't tell me you're a masochist?"

"I'm not joking, Kotori." Her neutral tone has now become threatening. "I'm sure you already knew about the brutal nature of 'Nightmare', and yet you sent Nii-chan to deal with her."

Fraxinus' commander didn't respond to that. On the one hand because she had no reason to divulge any more confidential information, and on the other because she couldn't refute that either. They decided to take the risk because Kurumi seemed to behave in a friendly way around Shidou, and _that_ ended up happening.

"Don't talking, are we? Then, I'll assume that for you Nii-chan is nothing but an expendable tool, and you don't give a shit if he dies because of a spirit."

That really hit close to home. Kotori's heart tightened with some anguish at that cruel statement.

"That's not true! Shidou chose to do this on his own free will and we support him!"

"Of course he would agree to do so. Nii-chan is unable to refuse anyone who asks him for help. In fact, he would have volunteered for the task without you asking him, just so he could save the spirits. And you're just taking advantage of his good heart!"

"What are you going to do? Take him with you to an evil, twisted industry like DEM?"

The effect was immediate. Upon hearing the acronym DEM, her face turned sour.

"I would NEVER do that."

"Huh?"

"If there's one thing you and I agree on, it's in our opinion about those lowlifes. Only because they found me when I was amnesiac and didn't have a place to go, they treated me like a simple tool, and they played with my body to 'adjust' me to fit the use they wanted to give me."

The disgust and hatred in her voice was very evident. That raised a contradiction for Kotori.

"If you know what they did to you, why are you still working for them? You could join Ratatoskr and we would help you treat your body."

"That's a tempting offer, but there's one thing I can't agree with Ratatoskr. I can't accept that you keep sending Nii-chan to the battlefield."

"I've already told you. We are helping Onii-chan achieve his dream of saving them all. To tell him to stop pursuing it would be an insult to him."

Mana squinted, and looked at Kotori with what might be called disappointment.

"Haven't you noticed? Nii-chan doesn't need help to reach his dream. He was already able to reach it, being completely alone. But, for him, he himself is not included in that 'all', and he has no intention of saving himself. What he really needs is someone to help him love himself, and make him realize that his life has a meaning. If you weren't able to realize that, then you're not qualified to be her little sister."

Mana's brutally direct and honest words hit Kotori's heart hard.

She... she really was right. Kotori knew about Shidou's lack of self-esteem, and his tendency to put others before himself, but she had done anything about it.

She admired the way he was, but she also knew that if he kept acting like that, one day he'd end up regretting it. And she hadn't done anything about it.

She thought helping him save the spirits would help him be happy, as she knew that helping others was the only thing that made him happy.

She should have realized what Mana was saying by seeing how he never sought the affection of his parents. He never sought to make friends, he never sought to have fun, and he never sought a girlfriend like any other boy his age. It was as if... he thought he did not deserve those things.

Kotori could no longer bear Mana's piercing gaze, and she turned her eyes to the ground.

The heavy, overwhelming silence was interrupted when both girls' phones rang. Kotori wasn't in the mood to respond, but she ended up doing it anyway.

"It's... It's me. What's going on?"

"Co-commander! Raizen High School has a very strong reading of spiritual waves!"

"What's going on!?"

By taking a look at Mana's face and seeing her expression, she must have received the same news.

* * *

Things didn't go very well since about the second period of class. I felt a strange sensation all over my body, a constant feeling that something was wrong.

But I didn't notice that something was trying to invade me and my magical resistance rejected it. It was more, as if I had crossed a bounded field, a very subtle one.

I looked around me, and saw that any student reacted to this. Not even Tohka or Origami seemed to notice anything. And, Kurumi was still sitting at her desk with her gaze fixed on the blackboard.

Although it hurt, I left Tohka having lunch with Origami and spent all the rest touring every place in the school and combing every corner looking for any sign of a bounded field. It could just be my paranoia, but the feeling didn't stop no matter where I was.

There were only two places I didn't inspect, the girls' bathrooms, and the roof. I doubt I'll have to explain why of the first. If someone caught me going through every detail of that place, they'd certainly believe I was some kind of psycho sexual stalker. As for the second, I decided that if this was Kurumi's doing, I would face it when I met her this afternoon.

The end of the classes came, and the feeling remained. Kurumi, without even giving me a look, rose from her chair and quickly left the classroom.

Reine would be in charge of supporting me through the intercom. According to her, Kotori had to go deal with some issues that could interfere with this.

I got up from my desk and decided to go to the roof now. Kurmi should already be there, and I had already told Tohka about the situation, so she would go home directly.

However, something did happen. The atmosphere became very heavy, and I felt like this time, _something_ did try to hold on to me. I felt a viscous sensation clinging to my limbs, and noticed how difficult it was to breathe, and a feeling of weakness invaded me.

It reminded me a lot of Rider's Blood Fort.

I instantly activated my magic circuits, and my magical resistance completely rejected that feeling. But the other students couldn't do the same.

All the people around me collapsed with grimaces of pain, including the professor. I didn't have much trouble seeing what was happening to them. Their energy was being sucked out of them, and seeing how the environment had become darker by the time it all started, I already had an idea who was to blame.

I quickly approached one of the students on the floor, who I recognized as Yamabuki Ai, and checked her out. You could see with the naked eye that she was struggling to breathe, practically moaning in pain every time she took air.

"Hey, stay with me." I shook her a little to see if she was still conscious.

She turned her head slightly to look at me, but could barely articulate any sound remotely resembling a word.

I grabbed her hand to take her pulse, and I checked that her heart was still beating. Although, her heart rate was slowly slowing down. This was getting ugly. I didn't have the luxury of wasting time.

I inspected the rest of the class, and I saw that neither Tohka nor Origami were in the class. Making that to one side, I left the room towards the roof. The only thing I could do for them was to stop whoever had set up the bounded field.

However, I stopped when I saw the person who was in the hallway. Tohka, who had gone out into the hallway to go home, was leaning against the wall and trying to stand up. Because of her strenuous face and the trembling of her legs, she was having a hard time.

She, unlike the other students without magic circuits, was a spirit. Even with her powers sealed, there was still a small amount of prana in her body that allowed her to better withstand the effects of the bounded field.

"Oh, Shidou..." She noticed my presence and greeted me weakly.

"Tohka, are you okay?"

"Nn... But, my body feels very heavy... What's going on? Is this Kurumi's doing?"

"I'm afraid so. Don't worry. I'll take care of this."

"Shi...dou?"

"It's okay. I'm just gonna _talk_ to her."

After saying that, I ran down the corridors towards the roof. I talked to Reine on the way.

"Reine, I want you to leave the negotiations to me this time."

_"As you wish, Shin. I will inform you about the mental state of Kurumi."_

"Okay, thank you. And, no matter what you hear or see, leave the questions until it's all over."

After a few moments of silence, I heard her confirmation.

I reached the roof door, and without looking if it was open or not, I kicked it hard enough to break the lock in case it was down.

The roof was a totally flat space, surrounded by high fences so that no student would fall. And in the center was she. The cause of all this, the spirit that challenged me to demonstrate my determination to follow my ideals, Tokisaki Kurumi.

Her smile widened as I entered the place, and she greeted me by lifting the hem of her astral dress.

"Kurumi, why have you done this?" My voice came out in a serious tone, but I made sure it didn't contain any signs of anger and hostility.

"Fufufu, it's great, isn't it? This is my 'City of Devouring of Time'. It is a barrier that will steal the 'time' of those who step into my shadow."

"Time? Aren't you just sucking the life force out of them?"

"It's something a little more complicated than that." She walked confidently towards me, moving her bangs to highlight her golden eye with the drawing of a clock. The hands were spinning anti-clockwise at great speed.

"My angel has a wonderful power... In return, the price for using it is alarming. Every time I use its power, it consumes a lot of my 'time'. So... once in a while I have to replenish it with that of others."

My eyes opened before realization. The pieces of this puzzle were beginning to fit into my mind. I remained silent as she continued her speech, with a face full of loneliness.

"The relationship between spirits and humans, is this, you know. Everyone, unfortunately exists only to become my food. There are no differences."

Her expression shifted to a cold smile as she placed her finger on my chin to lift it up.

"Aaah... But Shidou-san. Only you are special. You are someone very special."

"Me, especial?"

"Yes. You are the best. The only reason I came here in the first place is to become one with you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It means exactly what I said. That means I'm not going to kill you or anything. That won't make any sense at all... I, want to eat you."

I knew she was talking in a literal sense. What she was doing with all the people in the building could also be described as 'eating them'. And I could figure out why she thinks I'm special.

"If I'm your target, then why are you involving everyone else in this?"

"Well, because of some busybody, I need to replenish my 'time'. In addition..." Her confident look shifted to a sharp one. "Before I eat you, I want you to take back what you said this morning."

"This morning?"

"Yes. About saving me and your absurd dream."

That made me frown a lot. More than because she was belittling my dream, because I couldn't make sense of it. What did that have to do with her goal?

Seeing my lack of response, she kept talking. "Hey, Shidou-san, I'm committing this kind of things, bringing innocent people into these murky affairs. I must be repulsive to you, right? I'm not someone who deserves to be saved."

She opened her arms dramatically. "Therefore, please take back that sentence. Also, promise you won't say those words again. If you do, I'll remove the barrier, you know? My only target is you, Shidou-san."

I kept looking at her in silence, trying to discern if the deal she offered me was true. But, it was not necessary when Reine confirmed it for me.

_"Shin, she is totally serious. There is no trace of deception in her words. If you were to accept her condition, Kurumi will most likely remove the barrier."_

"Kihihihi. Maybe I should remove it first, though. If it takes an extra second to do so, they will really die."

I was offered a choice. She would eliminate the bounded field, saving all the people, in exchange for me taking back my words, betraying my dream and the ideals I followed throughout my life.

I didn't even think about it for a moment...

"I refuse."

Her triumphal expression, which had written the line "Heh, I've won" on it, was distorted into one full of disbelief. If she thought this would be enough to shake my resolve, then she was spectacularly wrong.

"Haah? Haven't you listened to me? If you take back your words, I will remove the barrier."

"And I have told you that I refuse. To take back those words would be the same as betraying all my ideals and beliefs, my way of life, and all those who died in that hell so that I could live. So, I will never take back those words!"

She staggered back shocked. "I don't like people who don't listen to others!"

She raised her hand in the air, and space began to distort above her. Just after, a shrill alarm echoed all over the place.

My eyes opened as I realized what it was all about. "A spacequake!?"

"Kihihihihi." Her manic laughter echoed as she saw my reaction. "Now, what are you going to do now? If a spacequake were to happen now, what would happen to all the people who are here helpless? Do you hate me now, Shidou-san?"

With the state they were all in, they would not be able to evacuate to the shelter below the school, and would be crushed to death.

This looks really bad. The negotiation had already started uphill, and she was now very defensive. Almost... as if she felt threatened, when she was the one holding the hostages and controlling the situation. Something here didn't add up.

_"Shin, the mental state of Kurumi has changed. The numbers... it's like she is afraid of you."_

"Huh?" That left me even more confused.

I was serious, but I didn't aimed at her with murder intent or anything like that. Then, she was afraid I'd save her?

"Now, Shidou-san! What are you going to do!? If you don't take back your words, a lot of people are going to die!"

My brain started working at top speed. I was running out of time, and I needed to think of something that would let me turn the tables, and get control of the situation.

Then I thought of her goal. She needed me alive. A crazy, suicidal plan was formed in my mind, but I had to try before I was forced to use really extreme methods.

I walked to the fences surrounding the roof. "Kurumi, you said you didn't want to kill me, didn't you?"

"That's right. Killing you doesn't make sense. You will be able to live within me. Fufufu, it's not bad, is it?"

"Then..." I climbed the fence and stood on top of it, maintaining balance with just the tip of my feet. "You can start stopping the spacequake now, or I'll jump and die."

She blinked a few times, and this time, she did gave me a look reserved for the mentally ill.

"What nonsense are you saying? Are you crazy?"

"I am completely serious. I won't take back my words, but I won't let anyone else die either. As I said, I'm going to save them all, and that includes you too."

"So you're taking yourself as a hostage? What a simple way to think. Are you a criminal being cornered!?"

The comparison she made was quite accurate. Of course she was skeptical. No sane person would do something like this.

However, 'sane' and 'logical' are not words that can be associated with someone like me who has a reality marble.

"Do you think that level of threat will work with me? Do it if you can!"

"Well, I guess a demonstration is in order."

Without giving her time to process what I said, I leaned back and let gravity do the rest.

The last thing I heard was Kurumi's scream, and also Reine's through the intercom.

Of course, this was just a bluff. With a little reinforcement in my legs, this fall wouldn't be a problem, even without the mysterious healing flames. All the deception will go down the drain the moment she sees me land without a scratch, but as I expected, she took the bait.

Kurumi came out of my shadow in the building, and caught me in the air. Then she flew up to the roof again and dropped me there awkwardly.

As I stood up, I heard her hysterical voice of Kurumi beside me. "I don't believe it! What exactly were you thinking about!? If I hadn't been there, you would have died! What do you think your life is!?"

"Other people's well-being is more important than mine."

"Aaaaaaaaaaah, geez! You really are an idiot"

"Then, why did you save me, Kurumi?"

"That's... if you died, I couldn't reach my goal."

"I see. Then, stop the spacequake and the barrier. If not, well, there are other ways in which I can commit suicide."

"Guh..." Kurumi showed an expression of exasperation. After what she saw, she must have understood that I was completely serious.

With a snap of her fingers, the spatial distortion faded, along with the heavy atmosphere that forced me to keep my circuits open.

"Well, it's fine. After all, my goal was just to eat Shidou-san. No problem at all. Yeah, no problem at all."

She spoke to herself as if to regain confidence, but I could tell it didn't quite work. She approached me, but this time, instead of being confident, she was cautious.

"So, are you finally going to listen to what I'm going to tell you?"

"W-what else do you want!?"

"I just want to ask you one question, nothing more. That alone would be fine. You're not gonna give me a chance to save you?"

"Are you still gonna say that? Let it be. It's annoying. I, whether killing people or being killed, love both! There's no reason for me to listen to your empty words!"

"Heh, if you think I'm gonna fall for this whole twisted-girl facade, then drop it because it's not gonna work with me."

"What are you talking about? I told you, I kill people for pleasure. You saw it in that alley, right?"

"You may have been able deceive someone else, but not me. The guy you shot was already dead, you had already stolen his 'time'. Disfiguring the bodies was just a way to hide what you really did to them, or am I wrong?"

Seeing her face shocked, and her subsequent silence, I assumed I hit the nail on the head.

"You don't kill people for pleasure, but because you're forced to in consequence of your power. That can still be fixed. You can still be saved."

She panicked. "You're wrong! I..."

"Have you ever experienced a normal life, without the need to have to kill or be killed?"

"That's..."

"If you haven't even experienced it, then why are you so sure you'd rather remain part of that twisted cycle of endless killing?"

"But, that's impossible for someone like me..."

"That's just because you haven't given it a chance. I can achieve it for you, if you let me save you."

"But don't you hate all the atrocities I've done?"

"Of course I can't forgive you for it. But killing you accomplishes nothing. That won't bring the people you killed back. It's better to redeem yourself and start living a normal life, don't you think?"

As I had just said that, I offered her my hand. She looked at her still in panic, but I could see some hope in her eyes.

"Shidou-san, I... I can really-"

What she was going to say, was suddenly cut off by a strangely similar voice.

"You can't. How can you be fooled by those words?"

In the next instant, a hand brutally pierced her chest. She spat a lot of blood while trying to say something, but could barely make a sound.

Her astral dress vanished, and her body fell lifeless to the ground. Then, I could see who was behind her, and it was... Kurumi?

Kurumi had pierced Kurumi's heart mercilessly, killing her instantly. That made no sense, but at the same time explained many things.

"Seriously, hurry up and rest." The second Kurumi said that, while the other Kurumi's body sank into her shadow.

Then she turned to look at me. "Ara ara, Shidou-san, you don't look as surprised as I expected."

"Well, I've seen crazier things. But why did you do... this?"

I forced myself to accept that before me there was a person completely identical to Kurumi, including her astral dress and her golden eye, and that she had killed 'Kurumi'.

This 'Kurumi' emitted a much more ominous aura than the previous one, and was not full of doubts, so I could not lower my guard.

"Well, my _past self_ was too naive, and I had to correct it. However, I must admit that your speech was really great, Shidou-san. For a moment, you almost convinced me too."

"So, if I tell you the same as the other you, will you accept my proposal?"

She smiled mockingly. "No. Now, what are you going to do? I'm going to consume all of your power, no matter what you say."

Kurumi drew her hand closer to my face, and before I could defend myself, a light saber pierced through her arm and stabbed into the ground.

"Guh!" She jumped back by reflex back, and looked at her severed limb from her elbow.

"Nii-chan won't do it, but I will." I heard a high voice above me that didn't take long to recognize.

"Mana?"

The golden girl landed next to me, equipped with her CR-unit, and pulled the sword from the ground.

"I see you failed in negotiations, Nii-chan. So as you promised, I will handle this from now on."

"Wait. I haven't tried everything yet."

"If you're going to use violence, then let me spare you the need. Just rest while I take care of this lowlife. If necessary, I will pierce her with anti-immortal noble phantasms."

"I doubt that it will work. I already have an idea of how her 'resurrection' works, and she actually doesn't resurrect as such."

Our discussion was interrupted when Kurumi raised her voice. "I'm sorry, Mana-san, but it is _I_, and only _I_, whom you cannot kill."

After saying that, she stepped on the ground, and spoke the name of her angel. "Come out, Zafkiel!"

Behind her manifested what looked like a huge golden clock, with its hours depicted in Roman numbers, and its hands were the rifle and pistol that I had seen her use in the alley.

That alarmed me. Although I hadn't seen Yoshino's angel, I had seen Tohka's Sandalphon, and had been able to analyze it and reproduce it in the Unlimited Blade Works. But in the case of Zafkiel, not being a 'sword' or a close concept to it, I couldn't get any read of it.

She laughed, and after taking up the pistol, she muttered a few words. "Zafkiel, Dalet."

A shadow came out of number IV, and got into the barrel of the gun. I noticed that while that was going on, the clock in her eye was moving fast in the normal direction.

She pointed the barrel of the gun at her temple, and before our astonished gaze, she pulled the trigger.

But, instead of her brain spreading all over the roof, her head remained intact. What happened was that her severed arm returned to her body and was perfectly reunited again. Even her dress was repaired.

"Fufufufu, what a good boy, Zafkiel." She commented as she opened and closed her hand to check that she had full mobility.

"That's a trick you have there. With that regenerative capacity, you should have put a little more resistance when I crushed you."

"Kihihihihihi. That is incorrect, I simply rewound the time."

Mana simply raised an eyebrow with indifference, while Kurumi continued to speak.

"Aah... Mana-san, Mana-san. Just this once, let me defeat you and wipe that smug smile off your face. I'm going to show you the power of my angel." She raised her arms, as if representing an hour on the clock.

"Heh, as if that would help you in any way. You never had a chance against me in first place."

"I see that you don't understand, but, well, even the first time you killed me, you didn't flinch. You're even more messed up than I am, Mana-san, and that's saying a lot."

"I'm not even gonna have to use Gil's treasures to crush you."

"All right, let's see if you can. Zafkiel, Aleph!"

This time, a shadow came out of the number 'I', went into the gun and she shot herself again in the head.

The effect was immediate. Kurumi at first sight disappeared from the place she was. To my eyes, she threw herself towards Mana with a speed comparable to that of a servant.

Mana's eyes opened for a moment, and she swung her laser blade forward. The sound of a clash echoed, and Kurumi was repelled backwards.

She tried again, this time appearing quickly behind Mana. She struck her back with her heel. Mana didn't even turn around, grabbing Kurumi's ankle with her empty hand and stopping her. She then threw the spirit into the water tank.

Kurumi spun in the air and stabilized, landing on the side of the tank with her feet. She remained there, completely ignoring the laws of physics.

"Ara ara. To think that Mana-san could strike back even though I accelerated my time."

"Your attacks are so direct that I don't even have to use my territory to see where you're gonna hit. If that's all you have, then this is disappointing." After saying that, Mana jumped at her to cut her off.

"Well, close-range combat was never my strong suit. Let's see, how about this... Zafkiel, Zayin!"

A shadow came out of the number 'VII' and loaded onto the gun, but this time, Kurumi shot it directly at Mana.

"It's useless!" She didn't even bother to get away from the trajectory. A bullet like that wouldn't even damage her territory.

But, by the time the bullet made contact with the territory, the golden girl's body was completely immobile in the air. Even her facial expression froze.

"Kihihihihihihi! What were you saying, Mana-san? It seems you are no longer all mixed up with your time stopped!" As she laughed, she shot several bullets into my biological sister's helpless body.

I couldn't help but sigh internally. It seems she inherited not only the power of the King of Heroes, but also his overconfidence.

After a few seconds, Mana's bloody body fell to the roof floor. But, as far as I could see, Kurumi did not shoot at any vital point.

"Guh! What the hell was that?"

"Mana!" I approached her quickly. At this rate, I was going to have to interfere, even if it meant to expose my secrets.

"Don't get involved Nii-chan... You don't have to keep doing it all by yourself."

"What are you saying? With your body like this, it's obvious you won't be able to fight anymore. Let me handle this."

"Shidou!"

Our discussion was stopped, again, by two people who entered the roof.

"Huh? Tohka? Origami?"

I could see why the second person could move despite the bounded field that was active until a few moments ago. She had a suit fitted with a realizer.

As for Tohka, her attire was now an intermediate step between her school uniform and her astral dress, and she was wielding Sandalphon.

The power she gave off was not as overwhelming as when we met, but it was still quite considerable. I guess that's what Reine meant by her power being able to return if her mental state was unstable.

"Are you okay, Shidou?"

"Are you hurt?"

"What are you two doing here? You need to get out of here!"

Kurumi's voice interrupted my attempt to get them out of here before things got really ugly. "Oh my. We have everyone here now."

"Kurumi, you suddenly ran away, so you were in this kind of place!"

"Your movements are hard to understand. What exactly are you planning?"

The two focused their attention on Kurumi, completely forgetting my warnings. However, what they were saying was confusing.

"She ran away?"

The two turned to answer my question.

"Kurumi was standing in me way... But she disappeared suddenly."

"That's strange. Tokisaki Kurumi was fighting with me."

Tohka's expression shifted to one of confusion, but she shook her head and looked back at Kurumi.

"It's sad Kurumi... You've already decided to hurt Shidou, so I can't forgive you."

"I agree with that."

Despite the threats, Kurumi remained calm. Moreover, she began to laugh. "Fufufufu. Aaaah, how terrible. I am very scared. You want to use your advantage in numbers to fight someone as weak as me. However, I will be serious today... Well, isn't it, 'we'?"

"What!?"

The reaction of surprise of all those present, even me who already had an idea, was justified. Kurumi's shadow spread around her, and several pale arms emerged from it. Seconds later, those arms showed the entire body they belonged to.

They were 'Kurumi', many of them to be counted, and all identical to each other. And they all started laughing and talking the same way as the original. The view was really disturbing.

"Fufufu. What do you think? Awesome, right? This are my past, my experiences. They are the 'me' of different periods of time. Fufufu... in the end 'we' are nothing more than clones of myself, mere copies. They do not have the same power as me, so you can calm down."

I swallowed audibly. Tohka and Origami's chances of victory had been considerably reduced. Origami didn't even carry her complete CR-unit, and I could barely feel half of her original power coming from Tohka. The Sandalphon in her hands, as a conceptual weapon with its power directly linked to its user powers, paled even compared to my reality marble's copy.

Kurumi spoke to Mana this time directly. "Mana-san, do you understand now? This is the reason why you definitely can't kill me."

Her overconfidence was what dug her own grave.

"I cannot kill you, you say?"

Mana rose with great effort. Her CR-unit vanished and was replaced by her casual attire.

By the brightness in her eyes, and her slightly lower voice, Kurumi had pissed of the heroic spirit with whom trying to compare numbers was imposible.

"Ara ara. Mana-san, even in that state you are still... confi... dent." Kurumi's words died in her throat, and her skin became even paler.

All the clones, and also Tohka and Origami opened their eyes totally shocked at the impossible sight.

Not only was the aura that 'Mana' began to emit was even more oppressive than Kurumi's, but The Gate of Babylon opened, showing the blades of even more noble phantasms than clones were in the place.

By the standards of this world, there were _many_ weapons that overflowed a power that could be compared to that of an angel, all gathered together and possessed by one person.

"No matter how many clones you make of yourself, trash will always remain trash! Die like the mere plague in my garden that you are, mongrel!"

With that last line, death descended upon all the Kurumis. The clones stood in front of the original to protect her, and were brutally pierced by the literal steel rain.

It was a unilateral massacre. Each clone was skewered by several noble phantasms, suffering a fate identical to the Kurumi in the alley. Blood, limbs and body parts flew and spread all over the roof.

But, amidst all the sounds of flesh being torn apart and explosions, a gunshot was heard.

A red blur shot out of the Kurumi's remains, and it was directed directly towards 'Mana'. It was the original Kurumi, who must have accelerated her time again.

'Mana' noticed this and raised 'her' arm up. The hilt of a sword came out of 'her' treasure, and 'she' grabbed it and swung it to where Kurumi was going to be. 'She' was really serious, as I recognized the sword as the prototype that would become Durandal, the peerless sword.

It became a competition of who would finish their attack first. Kurumi was already in front of Gilgamesh, with the barrel of her musket pointing towards 'her' forehead, while the this one's sword was rapidly descending to cut her in half.

However, the fight was decided almost before it began. King of Heroes's arm stopped abruptly, leaving 'Durandal' inches from Kurumi's head. 'Her' eyes opened, as 'her' face distorted into a grimace of pain.

He was not really exaggerating when he said that Mana's body could barely withstand his power. The multiple gunshot wounds must have made 'her' reach 'her' limit even faster.

The Gilgamesh of the Holy Grail War could be firing A rank noble phantasms throughout his fight with Berserker, and he didn't even sweat a little. In 'her' current state, a simple barrage of noble phantasms had left 'her' in such a state that 'she' could not even complete the movement of 'her' arm.

Kurumi pulled the trigger mercilessly, but this time, I was next to them. At first, I planned to push Kurumi not to be cut in half, also interrupting her attack, but now Mana was the only one who needed my help.

I quickly grabbed the barrel of the gun and forced it upward, causing the shot to be lost in the clouds. Taking advantage of Kurumi's brief surprise, I grabbed 'Mana' by the hip and jumped to the side to put distance between us.

But, I underestimated the scope of her shadow. It stretched and followed me to the place where I was going to land.

"Nobody asked for your help, Faker!"

"Is that so? Then, good luck."

After telling 'her' that, I threw 'her' aside like a sack of potatoes. 'She' fell badly, but I made sure 'she' didn't get more wounds than 'she' already had.

"What the hell are you doing, Faker-!?"

'Her' complaints were interrupted when 'she' saw what I had prevented from happening to 'her'. Two Kurumis had come out of the shadow and held me by my arms to immobilize me.

"Fufufu. I don't know what that was exactly, but it looks like Mana-san has run out of fuel. It's time to end this."

The roof had been filled with clones again, and they had quickly overwhelmed Tohka and Origami. Both were held by several clones, and as much as they tried to struggle, they were knocked out.

Kurumi looked at me directly. "Ah, how long I've been waiting for this. I'm finally going to taste Shidou-san. But first..." She raised her hand to the sky, and the spacequake alarm sounded again.

"What are you doing Kurumi!?"

"The same as before. I want you to take back those Shidou-san words. And this time I won't be fooled, they will definitely die."

Well, we were really screwed. Any attempt to come to her senses with her fell apart when she killed the kurume who had accepted to be saved. That was a statement that she didn't want me to save her.

I didn't want it to come to this, but I don't have a choice anymore. I don't care if after this my cover is completely blown up and they try to send me to the dissecting table.

I'm not letting a single person die in my clock.

"So, how does absolute despair feel, Shidou-san? What are you going to say now?·

I limited myself to uttering two words with a very deep meaning for me.

"Trace, on."

* * *

The situation had not gone as Kurumi had planned. Shidou-san had really resisted taking back his words, and showed a tremendous determination to follow that absurd dream of his. He had even convinced one of her 'selves' that she could be saved.

She could not deny that his speech had been great and inspiring, but she could not be fooled by those illusions. She had a goal, and to achieve it she needed her powers and those of Shidou-san.

Mana-san's interference had been something really annoying, and for a moment almost killed her. She didn't know what it was that she did to fire all those powerful weapons, but it was really scary.

Within a few seconds, more than a hundred of her 'selves' had been completely annihilated. Using their bodies as literally flesh shields, she gained enough time to use her Aleph bullet and threw a suicide attack.

Then, something happened to the girl's body that froze, and if it wasn't for Shidou-san's interference, she could have killed her.

But now they were all at her mercy. Mana-san could not even move, Tohka-san and Origami-san were unconscious, and Shidou-san was held back by her 'selves'.

She would enjoy watching that determined face be filled with despair and helplessness. And she would begin by making him betray his dream.

"So, how does absolute despair feel, Shidou-san? What are you going to say now?"

But, to her surprise, instead of any attempt to resist and refuse, he uttered only a couple of seemingly meaningless words.

"Trace, on."

It happened so fast. Too fast for her to barely make out what happened.

She felt that the power exploded from Shidou-san's body, and at the next moment, her 'selves' were falling to the ground, with sharp cuts in their throats, leaving them unable to breath and bleeding to death.

And standing there was the boy she wanted to eat, standing between the two bloody bodies. In his hands had appeared a pair of Chinese swords, a white one and a black one with a red hexagonal pattern. They were beautiful works of art, now stained with her blood.

And there was that look. His expression wasn't the dead serious he used in the alley, or the determined expression he was using while trying to convince her that she could be saved.

His gaze was cold and emotionless, and she could feel it penetrating her. She felt a chill running through her spine as she saw that image.

Without warning, the boy kicked the ground and threw himself at Kurumi at an inhuman speed. It almost looked like she had shot him with her first bullet. The black sword was swung with the intention of cutting her from her right shoulder to her left side.

She could not react in time. It was one of her clones that saved her, jumping in front of her and getting attacked instead of her.

He didn't stop his attack, and her other 'self' was mercilessly slashed. Blood spattered them both, confusing her even more.

How come the boy so obsessed with saving her, now tried to kill her without any hesitation? Even if the attack was received by her clone, she had the feeling that he wouldn't had stopped the attack regardless of whether it was the original or a clone.

But she didn't have time to reflect on it. The black sword stopped, without cutting his clone in half. Something strange. Seeing the ease with it pierced through her astral dress, it should have had no trouble in finishing cutting off the body of her other 'self'.

No, something was wrong. The blade was pointing directly at her chest.

"Zafkiel, Aleph!" Trusting her instincts, she quickly loaded the bullet from her angel and shot herself in the temple.

Her time accelerated, allowing her to jump back in time to dodge the attack that surely would have killed her.

The sword was flooded with magical energy and the blade burst forward, extending its length to twice of its original. Its blunt side splintered, causing it to take on a shape similar to the wing of a crane.

The body of her other self practically exploded from the inside out. If before there was even the slightest chance that she could still be alive, now no more.

Shidou-san threw the sword along with the body to one side, as if he were simply taking off a jacket. His cold, steel-filled gaze as well as his swords remained.

"Zafkiel, Aleph!" Kurumi wasted no time. This time she loaded several bullets from her angel in her two guns, and taking advantage of the still active effect of the previous bullet, she shot them all to her remaining clones on the roof.

With their accelerated time, they all hurled themselves at him from all directions with the intention of containing him. In an instant, his body was covered by about fifty Kurumis. The last thing she saw of him is that the white sword in his hand vanished into specks of light.

However, she didn't even have a second to relax. Another explosion of power was felt from within the entire mountain of Kurumis. This time it was much greater, comparable to that of an angel. A light burst and blew up all her clones. Their bodies were completely charred.

Shidou-san had not moved from the place, but there was another sword in his hands. This time it was European-style, with a blade longer than average, and an unadorned golden hilt. But the most remarkable thing was the enormous power it gave oof, dwarfing Tohka-san's angel or any of the weapons that Mana fired.

The sword vanished in specks of light, and Shidou-san rushed at er again. Even though he was unarmed, she knew he could pull another sword out of nowhere.

But, Kurumi had not survived the constant confrontation with that unpleasant enterprise for so long just because of her spirit powers.

"Zafkiel, Zayin!" She had not stood idly by, and had prepared a countermeasure in the remote case that her clones failed.

The seventh bullet was loaded into the gun, and she fired it directly at Shidou-san. The moment he made contact with it, his time would be frozen and she would have won.

However, his opponent had also thought of several steps ahead. Her victory would have been certain, if Shidou didn't already know what the effect of that bullet was.

The moment she had loaded the bullet, he grabbed the jacket from the uniform he was wearing and yanked it off. He quickly reinforced it and threw it forward.

The bullet hit the jacket. The reinforcement did the trick, causing the jacket to offer a mínimum resistance to the bullet, causing its effect to activate and stop its time.

"What!?" Kurumi hadn't anticipated something like that. She hoped that at least he would have to slow down to dodge the bullet, giving her enough time to pull herself together.

"Zafkiel-"

She didn't have time to load another bullet from her angel. Shidou had already crossed the distance between the two, and swung the married swords freshly projected towards her neck in a scissors motion.

She managed to put her guns in the way of the swords, stopping them inches from her skin in a burst of sparks.

"How are you so strong? What are you?" She asked completely confused and frightened as they struggled. Her arms trembled, barely able to match the boy's reinforced strength.

He didn't respond. He just kept looking at her with that cold look that gave her the creeps, like an emotionless killing machine.

She began to feel very agitated. A feeling she hadn't felt in a long time flooded her.

Finally, Shidou put on more strength and ended the struggle. Her guns were ripped from her hands and flew away from her, leaving her completely helpless.

Shidou made a complete turn, kicking hard Kurumi's side and sending her into the wall next to the roof door. She coughed up blood as she slid down that crater left on the wall and sat with her back resting on it.

From the pain she felt, several of her ribs must have been fractured at best, but seeing that she could breathe without difficulty, her lung had not been punctured.

She opened her eyes and tried to rise, only to stop as a sword appeared before her, pointing its blade at her neck.

Shidou-san was there, standing in front of her, still looking at her with those cold eyes.

Finally, she understood the feeling she had ever since she saw that look. She was going to die... and she was afraid of it.

Kurumi didn't want to die, but the inexorable executioner in front of her denied any possibility.

She closed her eyes again, her body trembling, and waited for the final blow... but it never came.

She opened one of her eyes, and to her surprise, Shidou-san's expression had relaxed and returned to his usual stoic expression.

"See? You're still afraid to die. That means you're not completely rotten yet. You can still be saved."

The swords in his hands vanished, and he offered her his hand. She knew his intentions. The offer was really tempting.

If she took that hand, that whole life of killing or being killed would finally end. She could have a normal and happy life, and go to school together with Shidou-san, as Tohka-san did. She couldn't deny that these days she had fun going to class, and also had fun on her date with Shidou.

Still, she still had her goal for which she had been accumulating 'time' for in the first place.

Her mind was filled with doubts, not knowing whether to take or reject that hand that promised salvation.

But, they were both interrupted by the voice of a primary school girl.

"Onii... -chan?"

Both turned to look at the voice, and Shidou's eyes widened.

There was Kotori, with an expression that was a mixture of disbelief, horror and fear.

Shidou felt she gave off an overwhelming power, like that of a spirit. She wore what looked like a traditional Japanese dress in pink and black colors. Her long hair was now loose, and on her hair was a pair of horns tied with black ribbons.

Clearly, that was an astral dress. Not only because of the power that emanated, but because of the aura of flames that surrounded it.

He knew that the possibility of his sister being a spirit was still existing, but still, seeing her like that was still shocking.

However, the most shocked was Kotori. The moment she received the news that Kurumi had released her power at the school, she made a decision.

She wasn't going to let Onii-chan handle it alone. This time, she would save him. Therefore, she forcibly reversed the flow of energy between herself and Shidou, fully recovering her spirit powers.

But when she arrived, to her immense surprise, the one she found in trouble was not her Onii-chan, but Kurumi.

She could only look stunned as her beloved Onii-chan, the kind boy who only wanted to make others happy, had now become an emotionless killing machine. Seeing those cold eyes really made her heart hurt.

Both brothers stared at each other, not saying a word. The secret of both had been revealed, and the situation was tense and uncomfortable to say the least.

"Kotori-?"

What Shidou was about to say was interrupted by a sudden headache. His eyes became blurred and his ears filled with static.

Images appeared in his mind. It was hell, but it was not like the one he remembered, the hell from which he was 'born'. No, the burning buildings were the same as those in the residential area of Tenguu city.

And between the flames... was Kotori. She was much younger than now, but she was wearing the same dress as now.

The visions stopped just as abruptly as they arrived. He made them aside and looked back at his sister.

She was hunched over and holding her head, so it looked like the same thing happened to her.

Moments later, she straightened up again and looked at them.

"Kotori?"

Shidou immediately felt something was very wrong. Her red eyes shone, and her face now had a savage smile that wouldn't be out of place on Lancer's face.

"Step aside, Onii-chan. If you don't want to kill her, then I will do it for you."

Shidou was paralyzed with his mouth open. That was not something his sister would say, even in her commander mode. And most shockingly, it was the murderous intent he felt coming from her.

"What are you talking about Kotori? Our goal is to save her!"

"Camael, Meggido!" She ignored him and summoned her angel, a huge black and red halberd with identical blades on both sides.

The blades then deformed, taking the form of a cannon. The fire of her aura began to enter and accumulate in the barrel.

Shidou didn't need to use structural grasp on the weapon to know that, with that amount of magical energy, everything in front of Camael was going to be incinerated without a trace.

He looked at Kurumi behind him. She was still sitting on the floor, frozen as she felt Kotori's murderous intent.

Well, he would admit that he may have gone a little too far pointing at her with his murderous intent to the fullest. Even if it was just an imitation of the Primate Murder's aura, it was still enough to make a normal person have to be sent to an asylum for the mentally disturbed.

But, it was the only way he had for her to understand his point.

Seeing that Kurumi was in no condition to dodge the attack, Shidou decided to take responsibility and take the attack head-on.

_"I am the bone of my sword." _Uttering the first verse of his aria, he pulled out his most powerful defense from the hill of swords.

"Rho Aias!" Ajax the Great's shield, sublimated in a conceptual weapon in the form of a purple flower of seven petals, appeared in front of him with its seven layers.

The powerful torrent of flames was fired from the cannon with a huge roar. The first layer of the shield was broken in the initial clash. What he faced was not a projectile, so the shield did not have a plus defense against the attack.

The shield was one with Shidou, so the damage it suffered was also suffered by him. His uniform torn apart, and he felt several muscles and bones tear and fracture.

After a few more seconds, the second layer gave way, and Shidou began to bleed on several sides, but remained firm as he could.

"Guh-!"

Enduring that pain under normal conditions would not be a problem. Pain had always been a part of his life. But, with the flames close by, more visions began to appear in his head, accompanied by an enormous pain in his head.

They seemed like memories. The missing memories from that day of the fire in the residential district. He was in front of his sister, with Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands.

His gaze was not focused on her, but on something beside her. He couldn't tell exactly what it was, as he could only see something blurry in the space next to Kotori. But, there was definitely something there.

The third layer broke, filling Shidou's body with more wounds. At the same time, his head began to hurt more and became filled with static.

He noticed that the torrent of flames finally stopped, and finally collapsed on the ground.

The last thing he heard before he fell unconscious was Kotori's voice shouting his name full of concern.

* * *

**And that's it for now. What do you think? The cat is out of the bag, and sure it is. Awkward conversations will come in the next chapter.**

**After the talk with Mana, now we'll start seeing Kotori trying to fix Shidou's mental problem, but that will be after he saves her first.**

**But let's talk about the main course, the fight. This line of Gilgamesh's _"trash will always remain trash"_ is a reference to Broly, the version of the movie _'The legendary super saiyan'_. I don't know about you, but I think it looks pretty good on the character. The scene of Shidou throwing Gil like a sack of potatoes is a reference to the UBW route, specifically when EMIYA does the same with Shirou before landing on Caster's trap.**

**What King of Fakers uses to break out of Kurumi's clones is a prana burst, and the sword that traces apart from Kanshou and Bakuya is Merodach. This move from Shidou "_swung the married swords freshly projected towards her neck in a scissors motion_", I got it from the second Heavens' Feel film, specifically from the fight between Archer and True Assassin.**

**The "_I refuse_" part could be considered a Jojo reference. For a moment, I thought about putting directly "_Daga kotowaru._"**

**And if anyone wonders why in this chapter the first line of the aria of King of Fakers is _"I am the bone of my sword" _and no the line in the poem that Kotori have seen, _"My body is made out of swords". _The thing is that that poem, as Shidou himself said, is written in Japanese since they are in Japan, but, I don't have any idea of Japanese. Therefore, to represent that, the poem is in the literal Inglish version of the aria.**

**Finally, I would like to know about your opinion. Any constructive review is welcome, as well as the follows, and motivates me to continue writing.**

**Me next up date will be of my other story "_Similar ideals, diferent methods_", and the chapter is almost finished.**

**With this I bid you farewell for now. Until we meet again!**


	6. Chapter 5: revelations

**Here I am again, people! Yes, I know it's been over a month since I've updated this story, and this chapter is shorter than the others. But those who have been following my other story, _Similar ideals diferent methods_, will know that I focused on finishing it, so other than life's stuff, I didn't leave this dead.**

**The other reason why it took me so long to update is because this chapter was originally going to cover the entire arc of 'Kotori's route', but it ended up being pretty long. And when I say long, I mean it was gonna be more than twice as long as this chapter, so I decided to split it in two. But don't worry, since that means the next chapter is almost finnished.**

**Now, let's answer a few things I saw in the reviews. I'll put aside the issue of causing damage to Kurumi, and focus on the subject of Rho Aias. It's the first time I've heard that its property of the user receiving the damage caused to it is fannon. I always try to stick to the wiki when I write about a noble phantasm, and besides, that scene is based directly on a scene from the original visual novel. The one where Shirou uses Rho Aias to defend himself from Gilgamesh while reciting his aria. In that scene, when Gate of Babylon begins to fill the shield with holes, an image of blood flying is showed, Shirou grunts in pain and says, "_The shield is myself. My body breaks up as each petal of the shield is pierced and damaged._"**

**I don't know about you, but I would say that the fact that when a layer of Rho Aias is broken the user gets the damage is very canon.**

**Now, on the subject of Eye of the Mind, King of Fakers has an A+ rank Eye of the Mind (True). But, that his eye of the mind is true and not false extends to any version of Emiya Shirou, as it is something acquired by all his accumulation of combat experience and not an innate talent. That's why Heracles has a Eye of the Mind (Fake). And anyway, his combat style, which is a version of EMIYA's improved with the incorporation of prana burst, is based entirely on reading ten steps ahead of the opponent. And for this, I'm basing myself on the fight between Shirou and Saber alter seen in Sparks Liner High. I will avoid getting too much into the 'suicide style' discussion as in my opinion that is an exaggeration.**

**Anyway, I recently updated my profile and included there King of Fakers' stat file.**

**And now, leaving all that theoretical talk, let the chapter begin.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, the Fate franchise or Date a Live.**

* * *

_I saw hell._

It was a summer day like any other. It was intense heat that made you sweat no matter what clothes you wore and the cicades could be heard on all sides.

Being a person who didn't pay much attention to video games, or rather any source of entertainment, I didn't have much to do during the holidays. Then, a glance at the calendar made me remember what day it was.

It was the birthday of Kotori, my little sister who is always worrying about my happiness.

Seeing as I hadn't spent a single yen that my parents gave me every month, I decided to buy her a present. She had been pretty gloomy and sad that day, so I thought that might cheer her up.

I left the house without telling her. Our parents were on another of their suspicious business trips, and I wanted it to be a surprise for Kotori. If I said, "Kotori, I'm going to buy you a present for your birthday. I'll be right back." It could ruin the moment. Or at least, that sounded good in my head at the time.

However, as soon as I left the Tenguu station with the gift already bought, I did not expect to see that image again.

Fire. The houses, the streets, everything was burning. A hell was the best way to describe it.

My legs moved alone, and I found myself running straight into hell, ignoring any warning from the people around.

There were people who needed to be saved, and above all, since the fire started in the residential area, Kotori would also have been involved.

_"Kotori!"_

I don't know how many times I shouted her name while I was looking for her, but I didn't care. I forced my preteen body and I kept running through the burning streets.

Finally, in the middle of a street that was strangely intact, I saw a girl. She was kneeling and crying. She had a pair of horns tied to her red hair, wore a strange pale pink kimono, and the flames swirled around her.

It hardly took me a few seconds to recognize her. I ignored the enormous magical energy she was now releasing. All that mattered was that Kotori was crying, and she was in the middle of the hell.

Without a second thought, I ran toward her. The sound of my footsteps must have made her aware of my presence.

"_Onii-chan... Onii-chan, Onii-chan!"_

Seeing her older brother seemed to make her feel a little relieved, but that didn't last long. The moment I approached, the flames that enveloped her erupted violently towards me.

_"Onii-chan! Don't come any closer!"_ I heard my sister's scream completely terrified, but her warning came too late.

There was no more time to dodge it, at least with my current 13-year-old body. But, I had no intention of dying in front of Kotori. I didn't want to show my magecraft to Kotori and involve her in the 'moon-lit world', but given the circumstances, that would no longer be possible.

"_Trace, on!"_

I extended my right hand forward and projected as fast as I could my most powerful defense. I didn't have much time, so I could only replicate one of Rho Aias' seven layers. However, that would be more than enough.

The torrent of flame struck the single petal and dispersed like a cascade crashing into a rock. Still, the force of the impact was able to knock me down.

_"Guh!"_ My body slid through the burnt asphalt, getting some burns.

_"Onii-chan!"_ Kotori ran toward me in fear while I stood up. Big tears fell from her eyes when she saw my shirt completely destroyed and the burns on my skin.

Unconsciously, my hand landed on her head and I started stroking her hair. _"It's all right, Kotori. Your brother's already here and is going to save you."_

I endured the pain and let her curl up in my chest while she calmed down. Now I had to think of a way to solve the problem of these strange powers that Kotori got somehow.

But before I started squeezing my brain for a solution, a high-pitched, distorted voice put me on alert.

"_Hey, do you want to save her?"_

I looked up to see something that was a few meters ahead of me. I couldn't tell what it was, as I only saw the space blurred, but my senses told me that there was something there, and that it was dangerous.

I quickly put Kotori behind me and faced that thing with a dead serious look. Kanshou and Bakuya appeared instantly in my hands.

_"Who are you? Are you the one who did this to my sister?"_

* * *

My eyes opened slowly and were greeted by an unknown roof filled with pipes.

Before I could even think of anything, I was assaulted by the pain. My whole body hurt, although it was quite manageable, and I also felt a throbbing pain in my head.

I sat as I could despite the nausea that the pains were causing me to start figuring out where I was.

I was in a bed, in a room I'd never been in. From the other beds separated from mine, I could guess that this was an infirmary, and from the design and advanced technology of the place, I had to be in Fraxinus.

With that resolved, I stroked my forehead as I tried to remember why I'm here, and why so many parts of my body hurt.

The school uniform I was wearing was shredded and stained with blood in some parts. Still, I couldn't see or feel any wounds on my body, so they should have been treated by now.

It was obvious I was fighting before I fell unconscious, which was quite worrying. But, my thoughts stopped when my brain finally registered the other presence in the room.

My eyes focused on a beauty of black hair as the night that slept peacefully with her arms and head resting at the other end of the bed. It would be a charming image, if the drool wasn't sliding down the side of her mouth.

"Tohka?"

For a moment I began to worry. If I had ended up like this after a fight, it was likely that she would have participated in that fight and would have been hurt too.

But after a closer look, her clothes were intact and I couldn't see any wounds on her body. She was just asleep.

However, that still did not answer the main question.

"Then, how I ended up like this...?"

"Nnn? I see you are already awake, Shin." A sleepy voice took me out of my thoughts.

Two people entered the infirmary. The first was the owner of the voice, the Analysis Officer, Murasame Reine, and behind her came a little girl with aquamarine eyes, blue hair covered by a hat with a big wing, and in her hand was a puppet rabbit.

"Oh, Shidou-kun. Why don't you look very energetic? We were worried about you."

"If you're okay, then... that's great."

After the puppet finished speaking with exaggerated movements, the little girl spoke with a weak voice.

"Even Yoshino and Yoshinon came... What exactly happened to me?"

"Yesterday, after the battle against Tokisaki Kurumi, we brought you here after you lost consciousness."

"...!" Reine's direct answer finally made me remember the fiasco that had occurred in my attempt to save Kurumi.

At that moment I understood why it took my brain so long to remember that. Not only was the fact that Fraxinus now knew about my magecraft, but also Tohka regaining her powers, Gilgamesh openly showing the Gate of Babylon, and finally... that now I know for sure that Kotori is a spirit.

My brain actually had done well delaying as much as possible having to deal with all this mess.

"I guess I'm not the only one who has a lot of questions." I showed Reine an ankward smile.

"That's putting it very lightly. If it weren't for the insistence of Kotori, Tohka, and Yoshino, you'd be now in a special room for spirits. You have a lot to explain, Shin."

I scratched the back of my head, and I had to repress a grimace from the pain I felt in the joint. At least she and Yoshino weren't overreacting.

"Before I start answering all the questions, could you please fill me in on everything that happened while I was out?"

"Of course. Everyone is fine. There were no casualties as far as I know. All the nearby hospitals are about to burst because of the number of patients. Tobiichi Origami and Takamiya Mana were recovered by the AST members who arrived later, should have been transported to the Tenguu Hospital of the JSDF. There they have medical realizer units... As for Kurumi, she took the opportunity to escape. Tohka, you can see her. Despite her injuries, she insisted on taking care of you. She probably fell asleep from fatigue. As for her powers returning to her, as it was hardly a small fraction, once her mental condition stabilized the powers went back to your body."

I took a few seconds to digest all that information Reine threw at me at once.

I was relieved to know that no one died, but Kurumi's problem was far from over. We were interrupted before she gave me a definitive answer, and although she was hesitating, I couldn't say for sure if she was going to let me save her.

And as for Mana and Gilgamesh, I honestly have no idea what they'll do from now on. Maybe they will hunt her now that they know all they need to do to kill her is find the original Kurumi, or maybe they'll let her go. Being the King of Heroes, the person who decided to burn humanity because the modern world seemed boring to him and, according to him, was full of mongrels, trying to predict what he will do is a waste of time.

But Reine had forgotten to mention something very important.

"Reine, what about Kotori? Where's my sister?"

She remained silent for a few seconds, until she sighed and replied. "It would be better if I took you there directly. Anyway, Kotori pressured her superiors to be the one interrogating you. Can you stand up?"

"Yes..." I nodded and pulled my legs out of bed to put on the shoes that were at the foot of this one.

When I stood up, the feeling of dizziness increased further, making me have to plant my feet firmly so as not to lose my balance.

This flesh-and-blood body had had a peaceful life until now, so pushing it to the limit yesterday in a direct fight with a spirit is taking its toll on me. Still, this is more than I expected.

The headache caused by these strange visions and that dream are not helping much either.

Yoshino must have noticed my discomfort and came over to help me keep my balance.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you, Yoshino."

"No, it's okay..." She seemed ashamed as she spoke and hid her face behind the wing of her hat.

Yoshinon took over and began to whistle. "Are you all right? You'd better rest a little longer..."

"No, I'm fine. I will rest better after knowing how Kotori is, so let's get going."

I repressed the pain and the nausea by force and walked towards Reine. She squinted for a few moments, but finally nodded.

After leaving Tohka sleeping in the bed, Reine led the walk through the corridors of Fraxinus, while Yoshino stood by my side.

Did I really look that weak right now? Anyway, I didn't refuse the help she wanted to offer me so vigorously.

The journey was short, and the tension in the environment increased with each step. Reine stopped in front of a huge white armored door that looked like a bank vault door. I gave her an inquisitive look, but Reine seemed to ignore me.

"Analytical Officer... Murasame Reine..."

After saying that, the electronic panel next to the door emitted a soft beep, and it opened from both sides.

"Now, come on..."

When we crossed the door, we found ourselves in a very particular room. The front and interior of the room were separated by a glass wall as a barrier, and the interior of each part was completely different.

While the part we were in was a kind of narrow laboratory with several machines at our side, the interior looked like a normal, ordinary hotel room. It looked like this was a place to watch dangerous beasts.

And across the glass, sitting at a table and drinking tea quietly, was Kotori. I was a little relieved to see that she was dressed in casual clothes and not her astral dress.

Still, my fist clenched in reflex. Even knowing the more than logical motive behind this, to see my sister confined to this room as if she was some kind dangerous monster, was something that really annoyed my.

If it weren't for Reine and Yoshino being near to me, I'd be releasing a lot of murderous intent right now. I'm definitely having a 'talk' with Kotori's superiors.

After calming down a bit, my gaze turned to Reine, who had gone to a corner of the room where there was a metal door connecting to the other side of the room. Despite my self-control, I could notice that she was shaken when she noticed my gaze.

She repeated the same process of recognition and the door opened.

"From now on you are alone, Shin."

I nodded to my two companions and entered the room where Kotori was. The first thing I noticed was that, as I expected, the reinforced glass that served to observe the interior of the room, on this side functioned like a mirror, preventing me from seeing the outside.

That made me grimace, but I forced myself to keep my expression neutral.

Kotori soon noticed my presence. "Nn? Oh, it's you, Shidou. I see you've finally woken up."

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Kotori."

"No, I'm the one who should apologize. You ended up like that because of me in the first place."

The situation was really uncomfortable. I sat across the table in silence, waiting for her to resume the conversation, but the silence continued for several seconds. She kept looking at her cup of tea and running her finger over its edge.

From the looks of it, I have no choice but to be the one to do it. "I guess we were both hiding things from each other so as not to involve the other in this whole paranormal thing."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." We were silent again. My social skills have never been the best, but not being able to have a conversation with my sister is quite embarrassing.

I'll have to cut to the chase. "Kotori... are you a spirit?"

She snorted and shrugged. "Hmph, even if I said no, you wouldn't believe me, would you?"

"You're my little sister, Kotori. Of course I'll believe what you tell me." My response was totally sincere. Even if she was a spirit, what really mattered was that she remained being she.

She looked at me for a few moments in silence, but this time she did continue the conversation.

"I'm human, you know. At least that's what I think of myself... However, that's not the case. Because the values of the monitoring system have already classified me as a spirit. I am a human being born of the Itsuka family. That fact is certainly true. However, five years ago... I became a spirit."

That matched my deductions so far, and that strange dream. Although the idea of her becoming a spirit sounds rather absurd, after having watched humans become dead apostles, it does not seem so unreal to me.

Seeing my reaction, or rather the lack of it, Kotori raised an eyebrow. "I see you aren't very surprised."

"Well, in part I expected it. It wasn't until five years ago that you started to give off more energy tan a normal person."

"I see... So apart from the bond that forms between you and the spirit, you can also feel the spiritual energy. You're quite skilled, Shidou. But, what do you mean by 'in part'."

"When I fell unconscious, I had a very realistic dream. If I'm not mistaken, I think they were the missing memories from the residential area fire five years ago."

"So you really forgot that I had become a spirit... Well? What did you see in that dream?"

I told her a condensed version of what I saw in the dream, leaving aside Rho Aias and Kanshou and Bakuya. After this she was probably going to ask me about my magecraft, so I'll explain it to her then.

She blushed for some reason. "We-well, although there is a different point where I was crying and shouting repeatedly Onii-chan... but it was quite consistent with my memories."

After saying that uncomfortably, she leaned a hand on her chin as she thought. "It could be that, because I took back my spiritual power from you, it caused the memories to flow through the connection. And at the same time, did it also detonate your own memories, Shidou...? This is interesting."

She started wandering around like a magus thinking about his research, but at least I could understand most of it.

"In my case, I would say that my memories came back because of repeating exactly the same situation. However, the question at issue is, how did you become a spirit?"

She simply shook her head. "The thing is, I can't remember it at all. I can remember what happened vaguely, but the details elude me. In short, I only remember the fact that I became a spirit."

That made me come to only one conclusion. "Then it's as I feared. We both don't remembering the same thing is too much to be a simple coincidence. Something or someone erased our memories."

"You too have come to that conclusion, huh? Still, the cause is something we are far from finding out."

Seeing as we were at a dead end, I changed the subject of the conversation. "After that incident, you returned to a relatively normal life, didn't you? What happened then?"

She looked at me as if she had asked something very stupid. "Haa? Can't you figure it out yourself? You must have been the one who sealed my powers, Shidou."

Well, she had a point. Moreover, why couldn't I connect the dots...?

Apart from the migraine that came from trying to remember exactly how I did it, I noticed another detail. A rather disturbing one.

Having sealed Kotori's powers five years ago implies that I kissed my little sister, which in turn implies that my first kiss was not with Tohka, but with Kotori...

Yeah, I better let my mind block that part. I love Kotori, but I'm not a siscon!

My spiral of thoughts was interrupted by Kotori coughing exaggerately.

"Well, the fact is, you sealed my powers, and then I was recruited by Ratatoskr. After that... understanding what was going on in the world and the existence of the spirits... I wish to save them."

We really are brothers, huh? She made exactly the same decision I would have made. Still, there was something about it that I had a bad feeling about, but I let it go while she kept talking.

"The choice of Shidou as the mediator with the spirits, this is also the reason. Although I don't know why, you have the ability to seal the power of the spirits."

That explained why Ratatoskr knew of a power of mine that not even I knew of its existence. And after seeing Kotori's power, I now know where the power of the healing flames came from. But there was still something to be cleared up.

"But then, what was that about _'if you don't want to kill her, I'll kill her for you, Onii-chan'_?"

"... I'm not sure either. After I get my powers back for a day... every once in a while I feel the urge to destroy something, I have thoughts of killing someone... my body won't listen to me. I am hardly able to control myself now with the help of medicines... I at that time was really trying to kill Kurumi. It could be that by the fact that you didn't walk away from her I was able to regain control. So, I guess I should thank you."

So that's a side effect of using her power as a spirit. Kotori's sarcasm faded and she showed me a bitter smile.

"I'm afraid. I don't know what exactly I've done. I have no way of controlling myself. There's a chance that even though I have no memory, I may have done something five years ago... Therefore, in that part of my lost memories, there is the possibility that I have killed someone. If so, I..."

"Kotori..." I cut her off right away. I couldn't let her go through that spiral of murky thoughts. She was an innocent 13-year-old girl, so she had no need to shoulder the burden of having murdered someone.

Also, I can feel that there is no longer any trace of the bond between us. If she continued like this, her barely repressed power could explode.

"You're right. I said something unnecessary. Anyway, enought of talking about just me. You also have a lot to explain, Shidou."

We finally got to this. "Well, I will answer all the questions you have. But before that, I want you to answer me this. Is this conversation being recorded?"

"Yes... My superiors are not sure if I can deliver a report personally... But does that mean you don't trust us, Shidou?"

"I trust you, Kotori, and also Fraxinus' crew. However, I cannot say the same of the other members of Ratatoskr."

"When I said that the entire organization was created for your sake, I wasn't lying, you know. Whatever your condition is, they will not hurt you. I will never allow it."

"You may be right about that, but I can't trust people I don't even know. Besides, there's something about your story that just doesn't add up to me. After I sealed your powers, you were supposed to have a normal life again. Then, how did Ratatoskr find out about your condition and recruit you?"

The only answer I got was silence. Either she didn't know the answer, or she didn't want to tell me. Or maybe, like me, she also signed a contract to not talk about it.

I breathed a heavy sigh. If after this they try to take me to the dissecting table, it won't be very different from my previous life either.

"Anyway. Ask the questions, and I will try to answer them as sincerely as possible."

She swallowed saliva before beginning the interrogation "Do you remember anything about your fight with Kurumi?"

"Yes. I remember clearly."

"So, like me, you lost control of your actions by using your powers?"

"No. While I was fighting Kurumi, I was fully aware of what I was doing."

Her eyes widened at my response, and her face paled. "Don't tell me... did you really want to kill her?"

Well, I guess my choice of words wasn't the right one. "No. You're wrong. I wasn't trying to kill her. That was just a very convincing act. It was the only way I had left to make her stop and listen to me."

"Then, why did you look like an emotionless killing machine?"

"That's just a front I put on when I'm fighting. You could say that putting it on and taking it off is as easy as turning a switch on and off."

She squinted. It was really uncomfortable talking about such murky things with my little sister. And I omitted the fact that that mask, which I call "_mind of steel"_, I usually only put on when it's a fight to the death.

"Well... Leaving that aside, can you tell me what exactly those powers of yours are?" Luckily, she decided to change the subject.

"I'm a magus."

"Huh?"

"Basically, someone who can perform magecraft."

Kotori blinked a few times at my answer. "A magus? Magecraft? Like the AST wizards? That doesn't make any sense. Humans need realizers in order to use magic, and the monitoring system detects spiritual waves every time you use your powers."

"My magic, as you call it, is slightly different from that of human wizards, and at the same time it's similar to that of spirits. To put it simply, let's say I have something that most humans don't have."

"And that would be?"

"Magic circuits. Physical manifestations of the soul in the form of channels that allow me to process and channel my lifeforce. This allows me to produce and control for myself and without the help of machines what I call magical energy. And if I am not mistaken, it's what the sensor detects as spiritual waves."

Well, that last one was a guess. Actually, that's most likely due to my heroic spirit condition.

"How is that different from a spirit?"

"As far as I know, I'm human. And the difference would be in the amount of magical energy I can handle. I have about fifty magic circuits of average quality, while, although I can't say for sure, a spirit has what is known as a magical core. To put it in simple terms, if I, a human magus, am a normal battery, a spirit would be a nuclear power plant."

Kotori stroked her forehead as she digested all the information. I tried to make the explanation as simple as possible, but magecraft is as complex as the magic of this world or even more, and I'm not very good at either of them. Still, she seemed to understand it more or less.

"I see... That's in line with the values we have. But since when do you know all that?"

Now that was a really complicated question. "For as long as I have memory. In fact, I've always been practicing it in secret."

"So that's what you did when you locked yourself in your room and started mumbling chunnibyo stuff."

My eyebrow trembled for a few moments as I remembered some trauma. "Yes. All those 'poems' that you distributed as punishment during my trainings, they had to do with my magecraft."

"But what exactly is this 'magecraft' of yours. I doubt that simply having magic circuits is enough to beat Kurumi that hard in a fight."

"Well, even though I've told you I'm a magus, I'm not very good at it. I barely master a couple of basic spells. It would be more correct to call me a spellcaster or a faker."

She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "With a couple of basic spells are you able to pull out from nowhere swords that can pierce through an astral dress like nothing, and gain superhuman strength and speed?"

"Although they are basic spells, I master them at a very advanced level. The superhuman strength is due to reinforcement, and the swords are copies of the originals I create using projection."

"And what swords are you copying? Even if they are made with magic, a normal sword could never claw an astral dress or clash with an angel without breaking."

I let out another sigh. She really wanted to dig into everything I showed during the fight, huh? I've already lost count of how many half-truths I've told her, and omitting so much information is uncomfortable for me. I suppose I have no choice but to explain what a noble phantasm is.

"Do the names Kanshou and Bakuya ring a bell?"

Kotori placed a hand on her chin as she remembered. "They do. You wouldn't happen to be referring to that Chinese legend where the blacksmith's wife threw herself in the oven in order to forge a pair of twin swords?"

Surprisingly, she nailed it. My nod made her look at me shocked. "Are you telling me that those swords you used even five years ago are the same married swords as those of the legend?"

"As I told you, they are fakes, but in essence, yes. That's what I call a noble phantasm. The crystallization of a legend, and therefore its conceptual weight is enough to face an angel. Any more questions?"

"So far none. It's more than enough information I need to assimilate for now."

She took her cup of tea, which by now should have cooled down completely, and brought it close to her mouth. But in the middle of the movement her hand trembled, losing its grip on the cup, and it fell to the ground and broke.

"Kotori? Are you okay?" I stood up alarmed to see if she had been hurt.

"I'm fine. Don't worry." Even if she said that, she had closed her eyes and was taking deep breaths.

"That aside, I'm feeling tired. Can I be alone for a while?"

"Fine. But you still haven't told me what I can do to solve the matter of your powers."

She let out a really heavy sigh. "You really are dense. You just have to do the same thing you did with Tohka and Yoshino. You have to make me fall in love with you, Shidou."

"Huh!?" This time it was my eyes that widened.

Seduce my little sister? Well... without the proper context I would flatly refuse, but...

"Shin..."

A voice took me out of my thoughts. The glass wall door had opened, and Reine was there waiting for me.

I didn't need any more signs to realize what was going on. The drug effects that kept Kotori under control were beginning to wear off, so she would need to take another dose.

With one last glance at Kotori, who was now avoiding direct eye contact, I followed Reine out of the room.

Outside, I could see that the glass was not transparent on this side either.

"Reine, Kotori..."

"She's fine now. Don't worry. At least for now."

"How much is exactly 'for now'?"

She sat quietly in a chair in front of the machines. "In two days..."

I raised an eyebrow, and she proceeded to elaborate. "In two days. June 22. Please have a date with Kotori."

"I can understand the date, but... why two days?"

"There's only that day. I fear a little more time, and Kotori won't be able to resist the power within her... Her relapses are becoming more frequent. I've only used sedatives to keep her under control... but, more or less, she won't last more than two days. If we lost that window, Kotori would probably no longer be the same Kotori you know."

"If we're so tight on time, why don't we try now?"

"That won't work... She's under the influence of drugs right now. We have to wait for her condition to be stable before we can act."

"But, by then..."

"That's why, the only day that meets both conditions is just that day. If we lose a day after tomorrow, we will never get another chance again. So please leave it to me, Shin. In the meantime, go get some rest, or if you want, you can go check on Mana. If you go out now you can get there before the visit period ends."

She gestured at the door. It was obvious that she wanted Yoshino and I to leave her alone while she worked to keep Kotori in control. I couldn't hear anything of what was going on inside, but I can feel how the spiritual power is beginning to overflow.

"Fine. I will trust her to you, Reine."

After telling her that, me and Yoshino left the room. If they had been listening to the conversation, then they had taken it pretty well.

But anyway, that was not important now. I'd have to start psyching myself up, because in two days I'll have to make my sister fall in love with me.

It is something that I think is really immoral. I always thought that when she became an adult, I would let her find a man who would make her happy and marry him, and I would probably go on a trip to keep chasing my dream.

And now this happened... Becoming a spirit had already deprive her of her peaceful and happy childhood, and now I'd have to make her fall in love with someone like me in order to save her...

But there's no other way... if it's to save my beloved little sister, I'll do anything.

* * *

After eating something to fill my empty stomach and replenish my energies, I went to the Tenguu Hospital JSDF.

I came to check on Mana and Origami. Mana had been the most hurt of the two, to the point that, even though Gilgamesh was in control of the body, she couldn't even move a muscle. And besides, she had used the Gate of Babylon in front of everyone.

Kotori didn't ask me anything about her, but I guess that was more because we ran out of time. Ratatoskr may be quite lenient in discovering our condition, but I doubt that's the case of the AST, or worse, DEM. If they've already done that to her body without knowing that she shared her body with the King of Heroes, I don't want to think what will happen if they find out.

But, for my E rank luck, even saying I was related to her, the receptionist wouldn't let me see her. According to her, Mana was still in the operating room and the equipment they were using was highly classified. I guess she was referring to the medical realizers that Reine mentioned.

Without many options, I set out to ask about Origami. Hypnosis was a spell out of my league, and with my body still recovering from the fight, infiltrating wasn't going to be easy.

"Shidou?" But a voice that called my name interrupted me.

I turned to see who it was, and I found an albino girl dressed in a hospital gown and leaning on a drip holder.

"Origami?" I uttered her name without realizing it.

Although she had not been wounded as Mana, I could see bandages on her head and all her limbs, so it was rare to see her walking through the hospital.

Seeing me she was filled with relief, or so it seemed to me as her stoic expression remained the same.

"Are you okay?"

"Well... some pain here and there, but nothing serious." Somebody asking me if I'm okay... even now it feels weird somehow.

"What about Yatogami Tohka?"

Now, that was a question I wasn't expecting. She and Tohka were always arguing, so watching Origami worry about her was unbelievable. Perhaps they are finally starting to get along.

"She's also fine."

"Tsk." She snapped her tongue with discomfort at hearing my answer.

I couldn't help but sweat seeing her reaction. Forget that, I think I jumped to conclusions too quickly.

"Anyway, what are you doing here, Origami? The patients' rooms are upstairs, right?"

"I came to ask for Mana's room... And you, Shidou?"

"I see... I'm the same. I came to visit you and Mana."

For some reason, I noticed that her mood improved when she heard that I came to visit her. I suppose the nausea is affecting me more than I thought.

"So, where's Mana's room?"

"From what I'm told, she's currently in surgery, so we're not allowed to see her."

"If that is so, then waiting will probably be useless... Even though I can't explain it in detail, they must be using extremely secret equipment in surgery. No one is allowed to see her until she is transferred to an ordinary room. You will be arrested if you enter by force."

I supposed it. There wasn't much I could do now.

"I understand... then I'll come back tomorrow."

I said that as a goodbye, but she kept looking me in the eye without saying anything. After a few uncomfortable seconds of silence, I decided to ask.

"Um... Origami? Aren't you going back to your room?"

"I will return."

"Well... then I too will return home..."

I turned around quite confused and headed for the exit door. But, this time I was interrupted by a noise behind me. I turned to see what it was about, and I couldn't help but be alarmed to see that Origami was kneeling on the floor.

"Origami!? Are you okay?"

I squatted quickly and helped her get back on her feet. From the fact that her nose and forehead were red, she seemed to have gotten hurt. The exaggerated fall had caught the attention of all the people around, but she didn't seem to give much importance.

"I can't go back to my room by myself... come back with me."

"Okay... Can you walk?"

"It's hard."

"Then wait for me. I'll borrow a wheelchair-" Before I can separate, she stopped me pulling my shirt.

"I don't like wheelchairs."

I raised an eyebrow at that. "Why?"

"I'm going to get dizzy."

Origami getting dizzy...? And in a wheelchair of all things... No matter how you look at it, that doesn't make any sense. I mean, she's used to flying at extreme speeds with a jetpack, right?

"So... what do you want me to do?"

"Carry me." Her response was instantaneous, and with a lot of conviction behind it.

"I guess that can't be helped..." Well, I wasn't gonna turn down someone who needed help.

I put one arm on her back and the other arm behind her thighs, and I lifted her up as gently as I could. Yeah, I ended up taking her to her room in what people call 'nuptial style', and that for some reason drew even more attention.

Origami clinging to my chest like a koala did not help to pass unnoticed either. In fact, she was very sticky the whole way, and she kept caressing my chest and neck.

After I got there, I ended up feeding her a chopped apple and checking her temperature. A scene that somehow seemed a lot more erotic than it should have been.

Having checked that her temperature was normal, there was nothing more I could do for her.

"I think it's time for me to go. You have to take care of yourself, Origami."

"One last thing, would that be okay?"

I looked out the window to check what time it was. With how it was getting late, I guess it didn't matter much if I stayed a little longer.

"What is it?"

"Yesterday. I hope you can tell me what happened in the battle against Tokisaki Kurumi... About what Mana did, and what happened after I was knocked out. The situation was really unfavorable, and yet we all managed to survive."

Actually, I thought it was weird that she hadn't asked me already. Still, that doesn't make this less complicated. Ratatoskr was one thing, but even if it is Origami, I can't rebel my magecraft to a member of the AST. Especially now that that DEM company has the glove laid on them.

I put on my best poker face, and I proceeded to tell her half-truths. "Well... I was actually knocked out shortly after, so I'm not quite sure what happened either... Perhaps Mana managed to get back on her feet and drive her away. As for Mana's powers, I cannot tell you much either. I barely found out a few days ago that I had another sister."

"I see... I suppose that was to be expected... But I would also like to ask one last thing."

"Shoot."

"Just before I fell unconscious, I think I saw another spirit descend from the sky. She was wearing an astral dress that looked like a kimono and was wrapped in flames. Were you able to see it? Even if it's the slightest detail, I'd like to hear it."

The alarms in my head started ringing. Did she get to see Kotori, even if it was just a blur!?

Well, at the time I was completely focused on stopping Kurumi, so maybe Kotori arrived at the very beginning of the fight and I didn't realize it. But, from her unusual insistence, I can see where this is going...

"Now that you mention it, I seem to have seen something like what you describe... But like I said, I wasn't conscious for long either."

"Really? If you remember anything, let me know right away."

She was a member of the AST, so her goal is to kill the spirits. Still, she seems very interested in the 'spirit of fire'. She hasn't even asked me about Tohka wearing what might be called a limited astral dress.

"I understand. But why do you want to know so much about that 'spirit of fire'?"

"Remember what I told you a while ago?"

"What-?" At that time, I remembered what Origami told me shortly after meeting

Tohka. As my eyes opened before realization, she must have realized that indeed I remembered it. That her parents had been murdered by a spirit.

"Five years ago. The one who set that big fire in the residential district, the spirit that burned my parents... was the spirit of fire."

That's... certainly a terrifying coincidence. If what she said was true, Itsuka Kotori, my adoptive sister, had killed the parents of Origami.

"Always, I have always been searching. Always, searching without ceasing... I happened to find her. I have finally found her..."

That was the first time I saw such clear emotions coming from her. And all I saw was anger, hatred and resentment.

_"Kill her. Kill her. I have to kill her. With my own hands. I have lived these five years for that. That's why I joined the AST. That's why I got the realizer. This is why I have perfected my movements and skills. All that was to take down the culprit. All that was to be able to face the spirit of fire. All that was to kill 'Efreet'."_

She continued to spit curses, with a flat face, but her words were more than enough to convey all the hatred she had accumulated over the past five years.

"Efreet" must have been the code name they gave Kotori.

I waited for her to let go and finally relax. In her current emotional state, trying to talk some sense into her was impossible. It was really sad to see that the only reason she continued to live was revenge.

"Origami?"

"Eh? What is it?" My call surprised her. Looks like she even forgot I was still here.

"If you don't want to talk about it I won't force you, but... could you tell me more about the spirit of fire of five years ago?"

She nodded thoughtlessly and began to tell her story in a calm voice. I heard how her parents had originally survived the fire. When she met them, a spirit appeared in the sky and incinerated them with a single attack. She couldn't make out her figure, so she mistook her for an angel. She later learned that the spirit called 'Efreet' had caused the disaster.

As I assumed, something here doesn't add up. From the vague description she gave of the spirit, I can say that was not Kotori. Besides, even though Kotori was worried she'd killed someone back then, as far as I can remember, she wasn't in the personality of destruction machine she showed on the roof.

Still, how am I supposed to convince Origami that the spirit of fire wasn't the one who killed her parents without ratting myself out?

But before I could say anything, we heard the warning that the time for visits was over.

I said goodbye to Origami and left the hospital in silence. Kotori's problem was already serious, and now this...

Anyway, I didn't have much time to sink into my thoughts. My cell phone vibrated in my pocket, and I took it strangely as it was rare for anyone to call me. Seeing that it was the safe line contact with the Fraxinus that Kotori forced me to register was not a good omen.

"Yes... Hello?"

"Hello. Are you Shin?" From the way she referred to me and her sleepy voice, it didn't take me long to recognize the person on the other side of the call.

"Oh... It's you, Reine. Yes, it's me."

"Ah, have you finished visiting Mana?"

"Well... yes and no."

"What a vague answer..."

"I could not see her yet, so I ended up visiting Origami. Is there a problem?"

"No, it's okay. Putting that aside, Shin, can you go back to Fraxinus immediately? It's about Kotori..."

My heart skipped a beat hearing that. "Did something happen to Kotori!?"

After what seemed like a moan of pain, I guess I screamed too loudly, she answered.

"It's nothing like that. It's to have a strategy meeting about the date with Kotori... You could say that, although Kotori may be a very difficult opponent, this time you have a very big advantage compared to Tohka and Yoshino."

"Advantage... you mean we have a lot of information about her, right?"

"Exactly. The information we have about her is incomparable to that of any other spirit... Besides, there's still one day left, the time we have to build our plans has also been decided. We can't make good use of that if you don't attend the meeting."

"You're right. Even if this is not my strong point, I will help in any way I can."

"Thank you for your help... Then Fraxinus will pick you up. Can I ask you to come home first?"

"No problem. I'm on the way."

The "estrategy session" lasted until late into the night, and it was... Let's just say it was 'peculiar'.

Fraxinus' crew took the news pretty well that Kotori is a spirit and I a magus. I was treated the same as always, and you could tell they really loved Kotori and cared about her... in their own way...

At times, rather than a meeting of professionals to decide the strategy I would follow in the date, it seemed more like a sect sharing the data they had obtained after years of stalking Kotori from the shadows. I mean, they even knew when we last bathed together.

On the bright side, now I know I was too negligent with the defenses of the house. Formalcraft was something that was beyond my capacity because it wasn't related to swords. I never bothered to learn the most basic of the bounded fields during my previous life as it would require a lot of time. Time I used to perfect to the fullest the few spells I was good at.

But now that I know there are cameras watching my house without my or Kotori's consent, perhaps tomorrow they will apear pierced by mysterious twisted swords.

As for the stalk- ahem, I mean, the Kotori fanclub members... well... I made sure to moderate my strength when I hit them with a projected shinai.

Ah, right. I also have to pay a little visit to that 'friend' of Kotori who sold personal information of my sister for some money to a guy who showed up saying he was a stalker.

The thing is, in the end, it was me who decided where the date would be. The Ocean Park located in Eibu. A water park that caught Kotori's attention in the TV commercials.

After that I returned home to finally get some rest, and a very uneasy Tohka for, according to Reine, not having been able to be with me all day stayed to sleep also in my house... In the guest room, of course.

* * *

The next day passed without any particular event.

There was no school for obvious reasons, so Reine took advantage and made Shidou go through another 'training'.

The premise of this training was that Shidou would not be distracted by looking at other girls in swimsuits at the Ocean Park. As much as he didn't want to admit it, sometimes controlling his hormone-filled teenage body became difficult, so he eventually accepted.

That morning he found himself accompanying Tohka and Yoshino to buy swimsuits, and he then learned that they would accompany them on tomorrow's date. The reason of that decision, he had no idea.

On the way they met Origami, who had already been discharged from the hospital, and this one also joined them. It ended up being a competition to see who made Shidou's heart race, and surprisingly, it was Yoshino who won.

That day, King of Fakers learned that cuteness can be a weapon of mass destruction.

Origami returned to the barracks of the AST, embracing the swimsuit that Shidou had chosen for her, and at the same time frustrated by her defeat at the hands of 'Hermit'.

There she met her captain, Kusakabe Ryouko, leading the delivery of a massive unit measuring about 5 meters.

"Origami!? If you were discharged, you should have called ahead."

The albino girl shook her head to deny. "I was on a mission of the utmost importance... Anyway, this is?"

"Uh... it's an experimental equipment. DW-029, Destruction Weaponry 'White Licorice', two sets of the laser greatsword 'Cleaveleaf', two magic cannons 50.5 cm 'Blastalk', and eight 'Rootbox' container units capable of storing a large amount of weaponry. An unusual unit that is able to give a person the firepower of a section of the AST."

Origami observed the equipment in silence. A light seemed to shine in her eyes. "With that can I defeat 'Efreet'?"

"Hey? What are you talking about? You can't use this. You lack the authority or the skills. This is an experimental equipment from DEM industries. Well, if we look at it theoretically, it's really a unit that's enough to kill a spirit... However, I heard that even those highly specialized 'wizards' of DEM end up in a vegetative state if they use it for thirty minutes at full power. I'd say you'd better give up the idea of using it."

"Then why is it here?"

"They likely sent it for Mana to use. Well, it's useless if our dear queen is still asleep."

"So that's it..."

"On the other hand... did you say "Efreet"? You mean the spirit of fire that appeared five years ago? Why did you mention her name? She hasn't appeared once since she was identified..."

Her words were cut off because the realization finally hit her and snapped her fingers as if she had remembered something important.

"Aah... That's it... so that was 'Efreet', huh?"

"What do you mean?" Origami's eyebrows rose for a few moments and took a step to shorten the distance between her and Ryouko.

The AST captain felt a chill and stepped back in reflex. "Why are you suddenly doing this?"

"That doesn't matter, tell me."

"Even if you ask me to tell you... The other day, when you and Mana were fighting Nightmare, wasn't that 'Efreet'? That spirit of flames?"

Origami held her breath, taking another step closer to Ryouko. "How did you learn of the appearance of the flame spirit?"

"How... That's because I saw the recording..."

Her response left Origami shocked. For the first time, she had a clue about the identity of 'Efreet'.

"Captain Kusakabe."

"What is it?"

"I beg you. Please let me see that recording... Right now, right away."

Seeing the intensity in her gaze, Ryouko let herself be dragged Origami to her office and ended up showing her the recording in question.

The video was in poor quality, the camera was too far away for small details to be defined. In addition, the file seemed to be corrupted as the beginning and the end did not add up.

However, it was enough for Origami to get what she wanted.

She stopped the video and focused the image on the face of the fire spirit flying over the roof of the school building. The cause of hell five years ago and the death of her parents. And the enemy she had sworn to exterminate.

She found herself with a familiar face, although for some reason she was in complete shock. But Origami did not attach importance to that. What really mattered was that she had identified her target.

"Itsuka... Kotori."

* * *

**And that's all for now. What did you expect? Of course the interrogation was going to be a festival of half-truths. Shidou trusts his sister and her crew, but the rest of Ratatoskr is something else.**

**Moreover, because of Kotori's condition, the thing could not be prolonged much either. Kotori focused more on knowing what Shidou's swords were than on how his magecraft worked. The reason you can already imagine, besides that I have left many clues in the previous chapters.**

**The real bomb will not be released yet. That will be when Shidou is forced to use something that cannot pass as simple magic. Unlimited Blade Works, for example. But, for that there is still a little.**

**As for the divergence of the canon, that will take time. Think that the villain as such hasn't even shown up yet, and Mana has to recover from the fight with Kurumi.**

**And before you pull out the rakes and torches on the subject of the fifty magic circuits, yes, I am quite aware that Emiya Shirou has twenty-seven magic circuits. The thing is, although King of Fakers is an alternate version of Shirou, he did not live in Fuyuki in 2005, he lived in Europe around 60 AD.**

**Anyway, with the next chapter Kotori's route arc will end, and as I said, it is almost finished. Especificaly, it is finished, in Spanish, so what I have left is to translate it and make the final touches.**

**Finally, I would like to know about your opinion. Any constructive review is welcome, as well as the follows and favs, it motivates me to continue writing.**

**Until we meet again!**


	7. Chapter 6: protecting smiles

**See you again, people. Here's the next chapter of this story. Well, I know the previous chapter was not pretty welcome. The bar of the previous chapter was quite high I suppose.**

**Some still ask for divergence in the plot, and others attack King of Fakers. Honestly, if you don't like my stories, then I invite you not to read them. Some people seem to be getting an aneurysm as if they were actually paying to read this or I was making profit of it. **

**I never said this was gonna be an AU. The divergence in the plot will occur when DEM realizes that these Itsuka Shidou and Takamiya Mana are a really serious threat to their plans. Until then, however much the protagonist changes, the plot around himself does not.**

**And the thing is, if we give him a method to save everyone without sacrificing any life, King of Fakers or any other Shidou is going to use it.**

**Some perople will just jump out and say this is an excuse, and whatever I say haters are gonna hate.**

**That's why I ignore uncivilized reviews from people who just let their hate flow and disrespect as if this was twiter.**

**Putting all that serious stuff aside, let this chapter begin.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, the Fate franchise or Date a Live.**

* * *

June 22nd, 9:55 am.

Shidou was standing next to the nameless statue of Tenguu Station. He was dressed in casual clothes and carrying a bag with the swimsuit and towel that he bought the day before.

His expression was stiff. People walking nearby could compare him to the statue next to him, and would not find many differences, in ways that even they did not know.

He was never a nervous person at all. Moreover, he was used to being under pressure. He had often entered battlefields where defeat would mean the loss of many lives. The Holy Grail War in which he was summoned before coming to this world was a perfect example.

And yet, this time he found himself restless. Because this time, it was no longer the lives of unknown people that were at stake. For the first time, he was in a situation where failure meant losing a loved one.

Shidou loved his parents, but they were almost always in their suspicious trips. On the other hand, practically every day since he came to this world, Kotori was with him. It was inevitable that they would develop a strong bond between them, even if they were just non blood realted siblings.

That night he even had trouble falling asleep, and ended up patrolling the city in search of any clues to Kurumi's whereabouts.

_"Don't worry, Shidou-kun. You are the playboy savior who has conquered several spirits. Have more confidence in your abilities. We will also be supporting you."_

Shidou sighed at Kannazuki's attempt to encourage him. "If you put it like that, it really seems like I'm doing something immoral."

Also, he did not remember doing anything special to 'conquer' Tohka and Yoshino.

But at least that got him out of his downward spiral of depressing thoughts, so he'd have to thank the Fraxinus' Vice-Commander.

_"It seems that Kotori has reached the surface. She must reach your location soon. I will leave the rest to you, Shin."_

"Understood..."

Shidou swallowed saliva. The real battle begins now.

Kotori's figure soon appeared and approached him from the street. She wore a short-sleeved t-shirt decorated with cute ornaments over a short one-piece dress, and carried a bag with her swimsuit. Her hair was tied with the pair of black ribbons.

"Hello, Kotori." Pushing her thoughts aside, Shidou greeted her as always.

"Nn. Sorry to keep you waiting."

He watched her silently. Although they lived together, in recent months Shidou had seen Kotori mostly dressed in her school uniform or military uniform.

"You look cute in those clothes..." His mouth practically moved by itself. Maybe it was the surprise of seeing his sister all dressed up, or maybe it was that infernal training.

Kotori, who was about to reprimand him for remaining silent, froze after hearing that. Her face soon began to blush.

"N-not bad... I see you've gotten a lot better in these months. A-anyway, the train's gonna be here soon, isn't it?"

After saying that, she ran to the station before turning back to look at her brother. Her face was no longer ashamed, but she had a smile.

"Well, then... let our date/battle begin."

Shidou blinked at the sudden change in attitude, but could not help his lips curving slightly upwards. Now this was more like her.

However, his expression turned a hundred and eighty degrees when he heard a chorus of voices near them.

"Umu!"

"H-hello..."

"Yaho! I was waiting for this."

Both brothers turned to see Tohka and Yoshino approaching them, dressed and ready to go on a journey.

Shidou had already heard from Reine that they would accompany them on the date, but he still thought this was a very risky move. His gaze turned to Kotori, who was looking at the two spirits with an indecipherable expression.

"Tohka, Yoshino... and Yoshinon? What are you doing here?"

"What are you talking about, Kotori? Aren't we all going to Ocean Park?" Tohka replied confused.

As the girls spoke, Shidou spoke to his intercom in an inaudible tone "Reine, are you sure this was a good idea?"

_"You don't have to worry so much about this."_

"Really?" Shidou doubted that this was the case. It was very subtle, but he began to notice that Kotori's mood began to fall.

"Heh, you really have guts, Shidou. I'm very excited about this." The sweat began to fall on his forehead when his sister turned to look at him with a scary smile.

_"I didn't think she'd be like that."_

"Reine... How are Kotori's afection values now?"

_"Well, about that, how to put it... good luck..."_

"Haa!? What's that supposed to mean!?"

With that vague answer from Reine, and the thing starting off on the wrong foot, Shidou followed the girls to the train.

Once there, Shidou separated from them and put on his swimsuit in the men's locker room. While waiting for them, he stood in front of one of the pools and watched the place.

It was a really big place, and it was filled with all kinds of swimming facilities. The place itself was an interior attraction of a normal amusement park, and although it was already summer, it was not yet the high season, so it was not so crowded.

Seeing as how they were taking so long, he started doing some stretching. His body was mostly recovered, so there should be no problem. Besides, this was a date, not a fight with a supernatural being that could be compared to a servant, and he hoped it wouldn't turn into it.

On the other hand, this was the first time in quite some time that he went to a swimming pool. So he had to buy a swimsuit of his current size.

And like Reine said, there were quite a few girls her age there in quite reveling bikinis. It was a sight that would cause Tonomachi a nosebled, but Shidou did not pay much attention to it. His mind was already fully focused on his mission.

However, he did notice that several glances around him were fixed on him. The reason for it eluded him. Was he drawing so much attention? He chose his swimsuit with the same color pattern as his combat suit, but he doubted that was the reason.

_"You can't tell with your clothes on, but you really have a well-defined body, Shidou-kun."_

Kannazuki's words made him even more confused. Anyway, he had no more time to think about it.

"Shidou! Sorry for the long wait!"

He turned to the enthusiastic voice and saw Tohka and Yoshino approach him with light steps. The first wore a purple bikini and the second wore a pink swimsuit with ruffles at the waist as a skirt. They were both the swimsuits they bought yesterday.

In addition, Yoshino was wearing a float that matched her swimsuit as a precaution so that nothing would happen to Yoshinon.

He raised his hand to greet them, and stared at them as they approached. They were both beauties in their own way. If it wasn't because he had already been exposed to supernatural beauties, he would now be completely hypnotized.

_"You see now...? Yesterday's training was helpful..." _Well, that helped as well.

"This place is really amazing! Shidou, can we go to that lake!?"

"T-there's water everywhere...!"

Both girls were filled with enthusiasm for this totally new place for them.

"Of course. That place is for fun anyway."

After hearing the answer, the bright-eyed energetic duo rushed to the pool. He looked at them, an almost imperceptible smile forming on his lips.

"They are full of energy." He heard behind him the voice of the third person with whom he had come here.

"Oh, Kotori..." Again, he was silent watching her.

She was wearing a white two-piece bathing suit, and the top had a design with ropes that were tied behind her neck. He didn't know if it was because she was a spirit or because the view was unusual for him, but for some reason it seemed erotic .

Shidou shook his head to get rid of that strange thought. He had to say something, and fast.

"Six pack..."

However, he stopped when he heard Kotori mumble something. In fact, she was staring at his abs.

After a few seconds, she shifted her gaze to his eyes and put a malicious smile that reminded him of Rin's.

"I see that getting up every morning to exercise paid off. Were you preparing for this day, Shidou?"

"No. I just keep my body in shape. Who knows when will be the next time I have to go into action..."

"Are you sure about that...? Well, anyway, don't you have something to tell me? A moment ago you were looking at me very intensely. Could it be that Mana was right and you're a siscon?"

"Guh!" Shidou felt those words stab his chest, but he recovered quickly. "That's not it! I just thought that... well, that swimsuit looks really good on you... you look very cute."

Kotori blushed, but immediately shook her head and smiled arrogantly.

"Wow, thanks. But I'm sure it was Reine or Kannazuki who told you to praise me, wasn't it?"

"No, that's what I really think."

After seeing that Shidou was completely serious, Kotori snorted and this time showed a mischievous smile.

"Heh, I'm very flattered... So where and how exactly am I cute?"

"Well..." That question was really complicated for someone who had never given any importance to that sort of thing.

_"This is where we come in. Leave this to us, Shidou."_

Reine's voice through the communication device helped him relax. In the Fraxinus, the main screen showed three options.

1 : "Everything! You look cute no matter what you wear, Kotori!"

2: "Although that swimsuit looks quite simple, it is quite unique. It looks great."

3: "Aaah, those inmature breasts are irresistible!"

Most votes were concentrated on option one. It was the safest since the two made too much emphasis on the swimsuit, and better not to mention the third option.

_"Shidou, choose the 3."_

The Vice-Commander's order was followed by many cries of disbelief and discomfort.

Kotori saw her brother's expression distort. His face was written all over the place 'seriously?' For him to make that face, what he was told must have been really weird.

"Well... inmature breasts are irresistible."

"Wahh!" Even if she was already especting something like that, Kotori couldn't help but be surprised. Her cheeks matched her hair and her hands quickly covered her chest.

"What are you saying!? Do you really think so!?"

"Let's forget this..." Shidou couldn't resist any longer and put his hand on his face. He was starting to wonder if Fraxinus' support was actually a good thing.

But, the punch he waited for in the ribs never came. When he withdrew his hand, he saw Kotori looking at the ground and putting toguether the tips of her fingers.

"That was Fraxinus' instructions, wasn't it? Or, could it be... that those are your true thoughts, Shidou?"

Shidou kept thinking about how to answer that. He wanted to deny it as it sounded very much like something a pervert would say, but Reine had already put in his head that no mather what, he mustn't say that something he had done was an order from Fraxinus.

Besides, technically he wouldn't be lying. He'd never bothered to discover his own sexual tastes, so... maybe he actually liked small breasts?

"I'm always serious, Kotori." Yet, he gave a vague answer not to say in front of so many people something that could be misunderstood.

"Hmph... seriously..." She began to touch her modest breasts with her hands, with what seemed an expression of... happiness?

"Kotori?"

Her brother's confused voice brought her out of her stupor. Finally she reacted, and imitating a certain blonde sister, threw herself on a flying kick into Shidou's diaphragm.

"Gah!" He could not react in time to his sister's surprise attack and fell to the ground without air.

"With that choice, death is too good for you!"

"Shidou! What happened to you?" Tohka and Yoshino came to see what was happening.

"Nothing. Shidou just got a little dizzy, but he'll recover soon, _rigth_?"

The only one who understood the true meaning behind those words was Shidou. "I guess I deserve it..."

_"She's not at all honest with her feelings, huh?"_

"What do you mean by that, Reine?"

_"Nothing you should know by now... Anyway, it's time for you to invite the commander to some activity."_

With that said, three other options appeared on the screen. After a heated discussion, and making sure the vice-commander never told him to do anything weird again, Reine told him the option.

_"Choose the 1. Go to the slide with Kotori. The two must go together, okay?"_

"Understood..."

Shidou rose from the ground after catching his breath and looked at his sister, who was simply watching Tohka and Yoshino play in the pool.

"Hey, Kotori. Why don't we go play for a while?"

"Hmph. What do you want to play?"

"How about the water slide?"

Kotori looked at where Shidou was pointing, a slide that easily reached the roof, and sighed.

"It seems a little old-fashioned... but I guess we'll give it a try. Well, let's go."

Shidou frowned as he watched her walk up the stairs to the slide. There was no enthusiasm on her part. More than a girl on a date, it seemed like she was still acting as the commander and evaluating him.

He didn't know how to make someone fall in love, but if he couldn't even get a smile out of Kotori, that surely would be impossible.

But before they both went there, Tohka interrupted them. "Shidou, Kotori, where are you going?"

"We are going to the water slide." Seeing that answer left Tohka confused, he pointed out the huge attraction.

Looking at iT, Tohka's eyes shone. "Oohhh! There are people coming down! I want to go too!"

Shidou, not knowing how to respond to that request, tapped the intercom to ask for an answer.

_"Shin, you don't have to worry, just take Tohka with you. It's not good to refuse Tohka who just wants to play."_

Shidou nodded quietly and looked back at Tohka. "All right, let's all go together. But first, we have to find a place to leave Yoshino's float."

"N-No need... Shidou-san. I'll stay and watch... with Yoshinon."

"Huh?" That surprised him. Since Tohka wanted to come with them, he had assumed that Yoshino would also come.

"It seems very... frightening. And Yoshinon could get lost..."

"Is that so? Well, stay here. We'll be right back with you, Yoshino. Let's go, Tohka."

"Umu!"

With that said, Tohka and Shidou overtook Kotori, who waited impatiently for them. After he got a reprimand for making her wait in the middle of the date, they queued up to use the slide.

When it was their turn, they somehow ended up throwing themselves together, with Shidou in the middle, Tohka hugging his back and Kotori hugging his chest.

"Kyah!"

Tohka pushed them all three and they descended at great speed. Kotori began to shout, Tohka laughed completely euphorically, and Shidou remained silent. The high falls were nothing new to him, and his mind was completely focused on keeping his livid at bay and thinking of swords.

They reached the end of the slide and hit the pool, raising a lot of water. Shidou pulled his head out of the water and looked around for the girls.

Tohka did not take long to show her face above the water. "Hahaha! Shidou! This is so fun!"

With that checked, Shidou looked for Kotori, and that's when he noticed that his body felt heavier than normal.

He looked down and found Kotori clinging to him and trembling. Upon closer notice he realized that his hair was loose, and the black ties were gone.

"Are you all right, Kotori?"

"Onii-chan..." Kotori spoke with a thread of voice as she looked up to meet Shidou's. Shidou's eyes opened when he saw that his sister was crying.

"Ribbon... ribbon...!" Shouting that, Kotori released him and turned her back as she took her ribbons that were floating in the water and put them back on.

After breathing deeply, she seemed to return to her commanding mode. "That was pretty pathetic of me..."

Shidou had come to understand during these months what this was all about. The Kotori with white ribbons was her normal thirteen-year-old personality, while the 'commanding mode' represented by the black ribbons was the mask that Kotori wore when doing her work at Fraxinus.

However, there was something bothering him. "Kotori, why did you decide to use the black ribbons today?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No. Just curious."

She breathed deeply again. "I can't... the white me is the weak me. If I'm not the strong black me, this would be impossible."

Shidou raised an eyebrow. "What is it about the strong self and the weak self?"

"Nothing. It's better if you don't know."

Shidou frowned. They were really similar, hiding the problems from each other so as not to worry the other. However, before he could say anything, something black floated between them.

They both looked at it in surprise, and recognized what it was. Shidou's swimsuit.

Then, the eyes of both focused on Shidou's unseathed 'excalibur'.

Kotori's face exploded in red, and from her head began to steam. "P-pervert!"

"Wait!" Shidou's scream was ignored, and he received a spectacular hook on his chin that made him fly a few feet out of the water.

_"We almost had it, but we missed the opportunity because of your disastrous luck and she not being honest with herself."_

* * *

It was already after two o'clock in the afternoon, and Shidou, Tohka and Yoshino were eating at a table, while Kotori had gone to the bathroom.

While the girls enjoyed the food, Shidou had a complicated expression.

He had failed to make any progress. The strategies provided by Fraxinus weren't working, and he had only managed to make her nervous and punch him.

Things were very bad, and although Kotori disguised it very well, he could notice that his mild tremors were increasing over time. They were running out of time, and at this rate, he wouldn't make it...

Shidou suppressed that thought by force. He couldn't afford to think about that. Because the moment the thought that he couldn't save his sister and have to kill her with his own hands crossed his mind, then the thing would really be troubling.

He had never been in such a situation because he was always alone. And now that he had a loved one, he didn't want to lose her. And if that situation were to happen, then he would end up like that bitter man. Destroying his own ideals with his own hands.

Reine had told him that the level of affection had not gone up or down, so there was still hope.

Seeing that his bleak mood was beginning to worry Tohka and Yoshino, he also decided to go to the bathroom to wash his face and clear his mind.

Once there, he spoke in a very serious tone to the intercom. "Reine, this is serious. Can you stop avoiding the subject and tell me the exact numbers of Kotori's emotional state?"

However, the answer did not come in a sleepy voice._ "Ah, Shidou-kun. I'm sorry, but the __analysis officer __Reine has left temporarily."_

"Huh?" She'd been pretty elusive with Shidou's questions, but to go and leave him to his fate...

Well, seeing as what he was doing so far didn't work, he should change his strategy.

He left the bathroom to meet the girls again. Kotori had gone to the bathroom long before he did, so she should be back by now, and he couldn't keep her waiting.

But he stopped halfway to hearing a couple of familiar voices coming from behind a vending machine. He didn't want to meddle in other people's conversations but, with a slight reinforcement in his ears, he could recognize the voices.

_"Wait, Shidou! In that place-"_

Ignoring Kannazuki's alarmed voice, he peered half a head behind the vending machines, and there he saw Kotori and Reine. The latter wore her lab coat over a bikini, while the former was leaning against the wall gripping her head with pain.

Shidou suppressed his urge to run to his sister and help her, and stood there listening to the conversation.

"Are you okay, Kotori?"

"I'll manage... But, it's dangerous... I'll leave it to you." Saying that, Kotori stretched his arm toward Reine.

However, Reine hesitated as she bit her lip. "I have already given you fifty times the usual dose. Something else will risk your life."

"Heh... The current me that has become a spirit cannot die for a few simple drugs."

Reine put a bitter expression at that, but Kotori continued to talk between gasps. "I beg you... I want to have a date with Onii-chan... This could be the last chance... If we fail today, I will no longer be the same... Before that, I have to hold out until the end, continue my date with Onii-chan... I want to see his smile, even if it's for this last time..."

After hearing that, Reine finally stopped resisting and took out a syringe that would surely contain a sedative.

But Shidou didn't stayed there to see what they were going to do. Hearing that last from Kotori was what he needed, so continuing to spy on them was no longer necessary. He took off from the vending machine and went back to the table where they were eating.

He had finally understood what was missing in this date. Their ways of thinking were truly identical.

Shidou wasn't the only one trying to make someone have fun. His sister was also trying to make him smile, as she had always been doing since childhood. With the two of them clumsily trying to make each other happy, neither of them was able to make any progress.

Now that Shidou already knew exactly what to do, he made his decision and started planning a strategy.

* * *

"Uu... it took me longer than I thought..."

Kotori groaned as she made her way back to the restaurant where they had been eating. However, upon arriving at the table in question, she frowned in surprise. There was only Shidou.

"Shidou?"

He turned around and greeted her. "Yo, Kotori. You took your time."

Kotori felt there was something different about him. The atmosphere around him was no longer the same. He was no longer her dense brother who was rigid because he isn't good at dealing with women. Those eyes... The look he gave her was the one he always gave when he was determined to save someone. It was the same look he had when I told her about his dream.

"Sorry I'm late... Where are those two?"

"Tohka and Yoshino went for the boat ride. But that's not important now. Go change clothes fast, Kotori. We're going to the amusement park."

That confused Kotori, but after a few moments she made sense of her brother's sudden decision.

"Aaaah... Fraxinus transmitted new instructions? It's probably because I'm problematic that they've changed to the amusement park, huh? Hmph, it's okay..."

"You're wrong." Shidou interrupted Kotori out of blue. He then pulled the earpiece out of his ear and threw it into the pool as if throwing a coin at a fountain.

"Shidou?" She found herself asking again, totally surprised.

"My trying to seduce you was useless from the beginning. I'm simply incapable. So, I'm gonna stop trying to do something I'm a mess at, and I'm gonna do something I'm good at."

With his eyes full of resolution, he pointed his finger directly at his sister's face. "Kotori, I'm going to make you put on your face a smile of pure happiness."

Kotori found herself blushing without knowing very well what to say to that. "B-but, what about Tohka and Yoshino? A-although I am the primary target, you must not neglect the mental state of those two."

"The two of them are having fun right now. Also, I warned Kannazuki to keep an eye on them. Come on, Kotori. We'll go have fun alone, like when we were little."

And with that said, Kotori was dragged by Shidou.

Both siblings spent the rest of the afternoon climbing on all the attractions that were in the park. Like Shidou said, it was like when they were little, only the roles were reversed. Instead of Kotori dragging a stoic Shidou through the streets of Tenguu City, Shidou dragged a shamed Kotori through the amusement park.

Kotori couldn't understand her brother's actions at first. He was suddenly just as excited as Tohka, and now he treats her like when she wears white ribbons.

In the end, however, she stopped thinking about it, and simply enjoyed what might be the little time she had left with her Onii-chan.

It was on the way to the roller coaster that she could no longer help but smile. At that moment, Shidou looked at her, and smiled as well. She managed to see her brother's sincere and warm smile, and that made her heart warm.

Then she finally understood, or rather, remembered what she had forgotten as she was so focused on containing her powers and enduring until the end of the date.

Her brother only smiled when he was able to make others happy, and with her being so serious throughout the date, the same applied to him. What he was doing now was replicating what they did that day when she saw his smile for the first time.

After a couple of hours of nonstop rides, they both ended up sitting on a pretty tired bench.

"I guess I underestimated this amusement park... That was actually fun." Shidou said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Coming from you, that's something. Well... I guess it wasn't boring."

"But how long have we been to an amusement park? Mom and Dad are always on those suspicious business trips..."

"Five years..." Kotori's response was cut short for a few moments, but then continued. "The last time we went to an amusement park was five years ago. We never went to another after that..."

Shidou snarled in response. Five years ago. That was a date he was hearing a lot these days.

The date where Kotori became a spirit, and from which she could not have a normal life.

He pushed those thoughts aside. There was something he wanted to say to his sister, and that was more important than thinking about what happened that fateful day.

"Kotori."

"What is it...?"

Kotori's voice faded as he saw Shidou's totally serious gaze. In fact, at that moment she realized that they were sitting with their legs touching, and their faces were very close.

"Shi-shidou? That, um, although the timing is almost right... but a-at least, we should go to a place without people."

"Eh? Why?"

"W-why you say..."

He raised an eyebrow seeing Kotori stutter. It was true that perhaps he was going to mention some confidential matter, but the people around them were not paying attention to them. And if it happened that someone was listening to them, they would probably confuse it with something about a video game.

"We don't need to change places. I just want to tell you something."

His sister blinked a couple of times before deflating. "Ah, it's just that... Well, let's hear it..."

Shidou then looked in the distance. "Kotori, I know that for you I have surely been a failure of brother until now. I'm always making you worry about me, and I'm just chasing my selfish dream. I even forgot something as important as you became a spirit-"

"Stop talking such nonsense!" Kotori cut off her brother. Her fists were clenched as she heard her brother despise himself.

"You are not a failure of a brother! You have your faults as a brother, but to me, you are the best Onii-chan I could have! Besides, I also forgot that you were a magus!"

"Still, you said it yourself. I'm a magus. I shouldn't have let someone erase my memories so easy. Not ones so important. I shouldn't have been so careless over these years."

Kotori clenched her teeth. This was what Mana was referring to. Her brother did not know how to love himself, and he continued to take on all the burden on his own.

But this time, she wouldn't keep leaving him like this and just supporting him in his dream. She would correct the thinking of her dense Onii-chan, and drill into his head that his life has a meaning.

"Stop assuming it all on your own! I'm also to blame for what happened."

Shidou sighed. "Okay... But what I wanted to tell you is-"

He suddenly stopped talking. His eyes widened as his body tightened.

Kotori was quick to feel what made his brother raise his guard. Around this one began to form a membrane, something like... the personal territory of the wizards.

Her instincts started ringing alarm bells in her head. She turned immediately and saw what appeared to be several missiles heading towards them.

Time began to move very slowly from her perspective. She could only guess that this was a skill she got by becoming a spirit, but that was not the time to stop and think about it.

At the speed at which the missiles were going, it would hardly give her time to manifest her astral dress. That would be enough for those missiles to not even scratch her, but the same could not be said for Shidou.

Even if he was a magus as he said, he did not have an absolute defense like an astral dress. And she also didn't know if he would have time to pull out that purple flower that was able to resist Camael for a few seconds.

However, before she could start thinking about what to do to get out of that situation, she found herself flying through the air.

Shidou had reacted much faster. Almost instinctively, he'd grabbed her and jumped away from the bank before the territory caught him. Barely a second later, a huge explosion swept the place they had been.

Both landed spectacularly, with Shidou having his back hiting the ground so that Kotori wouldn't be the one to take the hit.

The world seemed to restart at that time. People around saw the huge explosion, and they panicked massively. The screams flooded the area, and people started running like headless chickens towards the exit.

Kotori paid no attention to them. Instead, she quickly moved away from above her brother and checked if he was injured.

"Shidou! Are you okay!?"

"Yes, this is nothing. But more importantly..."

Shidou rose quickly and glared at the perpetrator of the attack. Kotori imitated him, and then saw what looked like a tank floating several meters above them. It was a huge realizer unit, and the one who handled it was an albino girl they both knew.

"Origami, what the hell are you doing?"

Her response came in an indifferent tone. "Killing 'Efreet'. Shidou please step aside. This will be dangerous."

Shidou clenched his teeth. "Just for of that you're going to expose magic in public and risk the lives of so many innocent people!"

That hit close to home. Origami's indifferent mask became one of pure anger. "Just for that, you say! After five years of looking for her, I finally found her! Today will be the day I avenge my parents by exterminating the monster that burned them! I will kill that monster no matter what I have to do!"

Kotori was shocked to hear that. 'Efreet' must have been the code name they gave her, so that meant... she killed Origami's parents.

"Stop calling monster my sister!"

Shidou's shout pull her out of the spiral of guilty thoughts. Not only that, but it made Origami stop to look at him with what seemed surprise.

"What are you talking about, Shidou? She's a spirit-"

"I don't give a crap if she became a spirit or a blood-sucking vampire! Kotori is and always will be the little sister I love an I'm proud of! And if you want to take her from me..."

His expression changed radically from an angry expression to an emotionless one. His cold, steel-filled eyes made Origami feel a chill and hesitate for a few moments.

"You're going to have to take her off my cold, dead hands."

Kotori swallowed hard. Shidou's earlier statement had made her blush like a tomato, and seeing that her Onii-chan was going to protect her no matter if she was no longer human made her extremely happy. But now she couldn't help worrying.

Because that scary face... was the same one he put on when he was slashing Kurumi's clones without blinking.

Origami gritted her teeth and crushed her fear with all the bitterness and anger that she accumulated all these years.

"Directional territory, expand!"

Around Shidou, a membrane formed again, one much denser than the previous one. This time it no longer intended to protect him from collateral damage, but to retain him. With him trapped inside, all she had to do was move the territory away, and then she could get her much-desired revenge.

But her plan turned out to be much more difficult in the execution. As much as she tried to force her territory to move with her mind, it was impossible for her. Something was preventing it, and that was...

"Trace, on!"

The power came from Shidou after he uttered those words. His body lit up with all his magical circuits shining and ejecting magical energy to reject Origami's territory.

His magical resistance soon broke the barrier, before the astonished look of Origami.

"Hold on tight, Kotori!" Shidou, taking advantage from the wizards's moment of surprise, caught Kotori in princess style and jumped to the roof of the nearest building.

"Woah!" Kotori clung as she could to her brother as he ran at superhuman speeds with his reinforced legs across the rooftops.

Origami was quick to go after the Itsuka siblings. The enchanted bullets started raining down on them, filling the buildings and attractions with holes.

The bullets did not aimed at vital points, at least not at Shidou's. They aimed at Kotori and Shidou's arms to let her go.

Dodging such a barrage of projectiles was impossible, at least having to carry Kotori with him. But he wasn't going to let her be taken away for anything in the world. He rearranged his sister to carry her alone with only his left arm, and traced Bakuya in his right hand.

The Yin sword moved at fuzzy speeds to stop the bullets that would cause more serious damage, and especially those that could damage Kotori.

She looked at her brother with sheer concern, as some bullets began to graze him and cause him some superficial wound. If it was a few days ago, that wouldn't be a problem, but now that Camael's healing power had returned to her, if those wounds accumulated they could become a problem.

"Onii-chan, put me down! I can handle fighting her! You don't have to go that far to protect me-"

"I can't let you do that!" Shidou interrupted her with a really serious voice. "You have hardly any time left. If you use your powers now, you will no longer be yourself, Kotori. I won't let that happen. I will save you, whatever it takes! So you can leave this to your Onii-chan!"

Kotori could do nothing but remain silent when she saw Shidou's resolution. She felt helpless to have to let him to go througth this all on his own one more time, but she also didn't want to stop being herself... and not be able to be with her Onii-chan.

They reached the roller coaster, and Shidou leapt between the rails to the top of the attraction. Once there, he let himself slide down.

Origami quickly flew next to them. Shidou's eyes widened as the boxes containing the missiles in her CR-Unit were deployed to fire them. She intended to fly the roller coaster so that they would be in the middle of the air at her mercy.

_"I am the bone of my sword."_ Shidou wasn't going to let her.

The air above the two siblings was filled with swords. All of them different in shape and powers, suspended in the air by invisible hands and their blades pointing towards Origami.

The steel was fired at the enchanted projectiles, colliding and destroying each other. The place was filled with a cacophony of explosions and noise, and a smoke screen was created between them.

Shidou landed on the roof of the starting point of the roller coaster, and frowned looking at smoke. Origami had not come out of it, but he doubted that he had brought her down with just that. Just in case, he visualiced in his mind the planes of more swords.

"Cleaveleaf! Deactivate, expand!"

What looked like a couple of ribbons of light came out of the smoke at high speed. Shidou immediately threw swords at them, but they twisted and wove each other until they reached him. With no time to react, Shidou could only throw Kotori away so that she would not be caught.

"Onii-chan!" Kotori watched in fear as the ribbons tied around her brother's torso and arms and restricted him.

Origami came out of the smoke, with the two masive cannons of her CR-unit ready and aiming for Kotori.

"Condense personal territory, White Licorice, critical activation!"

"Stop, Origami! I won't let you pull the trigger!"

Shidou began to force the ties on him, and it looked like they were going to break with a little more force.

"I have already told you, Shidou! My only reason for living these five years is to avenge my parents and kill Efreet! My life exists only for that one reason!"

"If we stick to that logic, then I too will have to avenge my sister when you kill her! I would have to destroy you, and this would become another endless cycle of killing!"

Origami's eyebrows trembled. "Are you really going to choose her, Shidou!?"

"If I have to choose who I'm going to save, of course I'll choose to save them all! Once you stain your hands with blood, there will be no turning back. Therefore, I won't let my sister die, nor will you become a murderer!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" Origami screamed, trying to ignore Shidou, as she knew that if she continued to listen to him, she would end up reconsidering her motives.

"You leave me no choice..." In Shidou's right hand Bakuya was replaced by a short silver sword. Retriever, the cursed sword capable of consuming magical energy. With a couple of swings, the ribbons were cut like paper and he was free.

He didn't want to get serious and fight Origami, but at this point, that was no longer possible. In his left hand appeared his huge black bow and he loaded the cursed sword in the bowstring.

However, something happened that surprised them both before they could make a move.

The cannons were cut clean, and moments later a girl dressed in a bright purple bikini and carrying a huge sword landed next to Shidou and Kotori.

"Yatogami Tohka...!" Origami uttered with hatred the name of the person.

"Tohka?"

"Shidou, Kotori, are you all right?" She spoke to them without taking her eyes off Origami.

"Don't even try-!" Origami frowned even more and prepared to launch another massive missile attack.

But she was forced to abort and dodge when a beam of light was fired at her. A more detailed look at that attack rebelled to Shidou that it was actually an absolute zero ray that froze everything in its path.

"Are you all right... Shidou-san, Kotori-san...?" A familiar voice was heard from the origin of the attack.

As they turned to look around, they all saw a large rabbit puppet with bright red eyes and jaws with huge teeth that looked like icicles. And on the back of that was Yoshino with her swimsuit glistening weakly.

"Yoshino? And that's... Zadkiel? What are you doing here?"

"That's... After Reine-san told us that... Shidou-san and Kotori-san were in danger... we rushed immediately... The moment we thought of helping you both... we couldn't stay calm..."

The conversation was cut off when a barrage of missiles descended on them. Tohka and Yoshino prepared to receive the attack themselves instead of Shidou and Kotori, but the golden-eyed boy beat them to it.

"Retriever!"

The bowstring was released, and the noble phantasm was fired towards Origami. All the missiles in its path were completely pulverized.

Origami widened her eyes to see the demonic silver bullet fly towards her. She tried to evade it by flying to one side, but she wasn't fast enough. The left side her CR-Unit was completely blown to pieces.

Tohka and Yoshino looked at him in awe, but quickly shook off their surprise and focused on what they had to do.

"Now! Shidou, leave the rest to us! Hurry and escape with Kotori!"

He nodded, discarded his bow, carried Kotori again, who could hardly hold back her power, and jumped off the roof.

Shidou forced himself to ignore the sounds of explosions behind him and continued to run in search of a hiding place. He wanted to help them stop the angry Origami, but they were running out of time.

After arriving at the back of some containers, he left his sister on the floor leaning against the wall.

"Onii-chan...?" Her breathing was irregular, and it was noticeable that her consciousness was fading.

Shidou put his hands on her shoulders and swallowed audibly. With a completely serious face, he said a few words that brought Kotori back to consciousness immediately.

"Kotori! You are the most important person to me! I love you!"

"Huueeh!? What are you saying so suddenly!?"

"Kotori, do you love me too?" The question overwhelmed Kotori. After stammering for a few seconds, she finally admitted her true feelings.

"Yes! Yes! You are also the one I love the most! It is Onii-chan who I love the most in the world!"

Upon hearing her answer, Shidou pressed his lips against Kotori's. He had no idea if it would work, but fortunately he noticed how the bond between them was reestablished and Camael's power flowed back into his body.

And along with the huge amounts of spiritual energy, came memories. Memories of that day five years ago were missing from both of them.

* * *

Shidou saw events from Kotori's perspective.

Her little sister was sad that her parents had left, and her Onii-chan apparently didn't remember that day was her birthday.

It got worse when Shidou saw her crying, and his usually stoic expression turned into a frown. Without saying where he was going, he left the house, leaving her all alone.

Kotori found herself going to the park, swinging on the swing as tears fell from her eyes.

She knew her Onii-chan would return, and she would surely try to stop her from crying. Yet, the tears did not stop. Because once again, she had made him worry about her, and he left alone, probably to bring her something to cheer her up.

It was then that blurry figure appeared before her. With a terrifying ability to manipulate, it tricked Kotori into the premise that if she became strong, she wouldn't make her brother worry about her so much anymore.

The being offered her what looked like a red crystal that shone with power, and when she touched it, her clothes were replaced by an astral dress. The overwhelming power of the crystal went out of control, and the world around her became a living hell.

Soon after Shidou arrived, it happened exactly as he saw in his dream.

_"Who are you? Are you the one who did this to my sister?" _The look her Onii-chan gave that thing was terrifying.

If it was affected, they couldn't notice. That responded with what seemed like a calm voice.

_"Yes, it was me..."_

If the being wanted to say anything else, it couldn't do it. In a blur, Shidou appeared in front of it, swinging Kanshou and Bakuya at where a person's neck would be.

But the thing suddenly disappeared, causing the swords to cut only the air.

_"Relax, I won't hurt you both... You want to save your little sister, don't you?"_

He heard that strange voice behind him, and without a second thought, he turned, throwing Bakuya in its direction. But, the blade cut the void again.

_"Of course I do! I don't know who you are, but I'm not going to let you hurt Kotori and get away with it!"_

He approached Kotori again as he tryed to find where the being was now.

Kotori joined her brother. _"I don't know what you did to my body, but I don't want this kind of power!"_

_"If so, then there is a way. You just have to kiss her, and her powers will be sealed." _The voice was heard again even if the figure wasn't there.

_"Huh? Simply like that?"_ The answer surprised her Onii-chan, but she didn't give it much thought.

It was clear that the thing was unreliable, but her power could go out of control at any moment, and her brother was already hurt enough.

_"Let's do it, Onii-chan._"

He nodded, knelt down, and they both joined their lips. Moments later, Kotori's kimono began to fade into particles of light, and at the same time, Shidou's back lit on fire.

But those flames didn't damaged his body, but healed her brother's burnt back.

_"Onii-chan!"_ She hugged her brother again, this time crying with relief.

_"Ah, right..."_ Seeing his sister cry, Shidou remembered what he had been doing before it all happened.

He reached into his pocket and took out a plastic bag. He took the contents of it and offered it to Kotori.

_"Happy birthday, Kotori."_

Kotori couldn't help but be totally surprised. Her Onii-chan had really remembered her birthday, and the first time he bought something, it was a gift for her.

They were black ribbons with reddish edges. A much more mature color than she liked, but she felt that color was for some reason very appropriate coming from her Onii-chan.

He tied her loose hair with the ribbons to form a pair of twin tails. It was something he had never done before, so Kotori's hair became a mess.

But still, Kotori could not help but smile. And seeing that, her brother also smiled and stirred her hair.

_"Yeah. You definitely look better with a smile on your face, Kotori."_

That day, Kotori swore an oath to herself. As long as she wore those ribbons, she would be a strong girl. So she doesn't have to trouble her brother, and so she can see his smile more.

Even if the jewel that person gave her didn't make her strong, her resolve to support the Onii-chan she so admired did.

_"I see it all worked out in the end."_

Shidou's expression changed again to one of total seriousness as he looked at the being, who had now reappeared with them.

_"Yes. Now, you have many things to explain."_

_"Unfortunately, it is still too early for you to know about me." _After saying that, it put its hands on the heads of the two siblings.

Shidou instinctively reacted by trying to grab Kotori and jump back, but his body did not obey. For some reason, he stood still and couldn't move.

_"Forget about me for now. Ah, and I will also have to prevent you from seeing that for now..."_

* * *

The visions ended there all at once.

Shidou broke the kiss at that moment and grabbed his head, trying to assimilate all the information flooding his head.

"I remember now... At that moment... I was... for 'someone'..."

Kotori also spoke. Apparently she also saw what Shidou saw. With the enormous burden lifted from her shoulders, she finally fell unconscious.

At least this time, with normal clothes on, Kotori wasn't naked after her powers were sealed.

But he was forced to look away from her when he noticed something approaching them. What looked like a miniature missile flew directly to Kotori.

Kanshou appeared in his hand, and with a precise swing cut the missile in half. The two pieces parted and flew sideways, exploding several meters from them.

"Stand aside-! " Origami, who must have gotten out of Tohka and Yoshino, came before him shortly after.

All her impetus died when she saw Shidou up close. His body was covered with flames that were healing all the wounds he received during the chase.

"What? That's..."

"Indeed. Your goal is to kill the spirit 'Efreet', right? Then you have him right in front of you. Right now, I am 'Efreet'."

Origami put on a confused face without knowing what to say, but Shidou kept talking.

"However, I can tell you that the spirit of fire did not kill your parents five years ago. Kotori certainly set the fire when she became a spirit, but that was not of her own free will, let alone she killed anyone with her own hands. I was with her most of the time, so I can testify to it."

"What are you saying? That's... impossible! That person was certainly a spirit!"

"I won't question that, but can you really claim that it was Kotori you saw?"

"So how do you explain that? That day, the one who killed my parents was..."

"There was another being there besides us. The being who turned my human sister into a spirit may also be the same person who killed your parents."

That mysterious figure still remained in Shidou's mind. That figure that seemed to know a lot about them. That figure who spoke to them as if it knew them all its life, and who didn't even show a little surprise when saw Kanshou and Bakuya appear in his hands.

And also, that figure that although his senses told him it was dangerous, part of him wanted to trust it. Because for some reason, being around that... felt like he was close to a mother.

"Are you asking me... to believe all that?"

"Yeah. I know it's irrational, but I'm telling the truth."

Origami clenched her teeth, but in the end she wielded a huge laser sword. "I would like to believe that what you are saying is true. However... I simply cannot believe you. How can such a spirit exist? You are only doing this in an attempt to protect your sister!"

Shidou sighed and adopted his combat posture. "I guess it was too much to ask... If words are not going to stop you, then I will have to use swords."

But, before their blades clashed, Origami stopped in her tracks. Her face was distorted by pain, the light of hrt blade faded, and the huge realizer unit dhe carried behind fell to the floor.

It seemed that the time she could control all those weapons reached its limit.

"Kuh! The territory... Why... at a time like this?"

Still, she didn't give up and pull a gun out of a holster in her leg. A weapon that didn't require magic to work, and could damage Kotori in her helpless state.

But, as soon as she pulled it out, a black blur came through, cutting the barrel clean and leaving it unusable. The Yang sword stuck close to her and broke into particles of light.

"Stop this now, Origami. I don't want to have to hurt you."

Origami took one last look at his resolution-filled golden eyes before finally losing consciousness.

* * *

Soon after the incident, Fraxinus picked us up from the amusement park and Reine set out to treat the girls.

As for Origami, the AST arrived shortly after to arrest her. She had committed a crime exposing a national secret and putting so many lives at risk, so at best she would never be able to use a realizer again.

Tohka and Yoshino were able to return home after a few quick exams. Apparently they were barely injured while distracting Origami.

I stayed in Fraxinus to wait until they told me how Kotori was, but as Reine told me, his condition had stabilized and she was no longer in danger.

Right now I was on the bridge, as Reine had insisted that I stay a little longer before going to prepare dinner.

"So, what was it you wanted to show me, Reine?"

"I'm sorry." She suddenly lowered her head and apologized.

"Eh? Why are you apologizing?"

"About today's incident, it was completely due to my error of judgment... I made you worry unnecessarily and in the end you had to put yourself in danger and fight again... I am so sorry."

That left me even more confused. I mean, the incident with Origami was unexpected. If anyone is to blame, it's me for not clearing up the subject of the spirit of fire sooner. The only reason she apologized to me that I could think was...

"You mean letting Tohka and Yoshino join the date? Well... things got complicated at first, but in the end they helped me. Yoshino was the one who covered for me as I took Kotori to the amusement park."

Reine shook her head. "Even though that also counts... my mistake was made much earlier."

"So what was that mistake?"

She simply manipulated the computer. The screen then showed a graph with a picture of Kotori next to it. They never explained to me in detail how things worked here, but I could assume that was the graph showing Kotori's emotional state.

"To tell you the truth, today's date shouldn't have even proceeded. Making you kiss Kotori right after waking up two days ago would have been the safest option. However, because she was so excited about going on a date with you, I couldn't tell you... I'm really sorry."

My eyes and my mouth widened when I heard that. "Wait... Wasn't I supposed to raise her level of affection?"

"Look closely at the graph."

As she told me, I took a closer look at the image, and I realized there was something very strange about the data.

The line didn't fluctuate, but was totally straight, and was at maximum value.

"Wh...at?"

"It is as you can see. Since we began to monitor her level of affection for you not even once changed. From the beginning, it was always at maximum. Didn't she say it? 'It is Onii-chan who I love the most in the world.'"

I went completely blank. My brain tried to compile that information, but it failed. If that's so, why did she get angry and hit me so many times during the date?

Wait, don't tell me... It can't be... but it's the closest definition I can find in my limited knowledge of these subjects...

My sister is a tsun-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

A huge cry prevented me from completing that process of thought. Of which I am grateful. I don't want to think that my current life has any parallels with an eroge.

I turned to look in the direction of the scream, and I found a very flushed Kotori running towards us dressed in her nursing clothes.

"Oh, you're awake-"

"Forget what you've seen! That must be a mistake! The machine must have suffered a breakdown!"

"There's no such thing. The machine is in perfect condition." Reine refuted what she said with indifference.

"Shidou will cook for you for a week."

"Sorry, Shin, maybe there's a mistake in the calculator."

I noticed a drop of sweat starting to fall down my neck. Not only did she take the bribe without a second thought, but the bribe was me! Reine has hardly ever eaten in our house, and is she already addicted to my cooking?

I have to stop using reinforcement in the ingredients.

"Anyway... how is your body? Wouldn't it be better to rest a little longer?"

"Hmph, there's no time to rest. I have to record all the information right away."

"That can wait. You have been under constant pressure and stress for two days. You have to rest well."

"Recovering our memories was hard, and who knows if tomorrow we will forget again what happened five years ago. We have to have an additional record. And also, I have to write the report of your interrogation."

I raised an eyebrow at that. "Weren't you supposed to be recording the conversation?"

"Yes, but after further thought, I thought that I can't really trust most of the Ratatoskr's big shots either. That's why the recording was burned 'accidentally'."

"And what are you going to put in the report then?"

"I'll keep the detail of you being a magus, but I'll omit the legendary weapons thing. That could make them go crazy."

"Fine. But don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

"I'll handle this properly..." She paused dramatically, before looking at me a little uneasy. "Shidou, about what you said before sealing my powers... is it true?"

I found myself going through my memoirs to know what she was referring to and... Ah, it was that...

"Of course it is. I told you, didn't I? You will always be my beloved little sister."

Contrary to what I thought, she seemed to deflate with my answer. "Tsk. You're still as dense as ever."

"Eh? Why do you all insist on calling me dense?"

"Nothing you need to know for now." She walked off the bridge, but before she left, she whispered something I couldn't quite hear.

"You're better like that. After all, it is the kind, dense Onii-chan the one I love."

* * *

Kurumi watched the sunset from the rooftop of one of Tenguu City's buildings.

Her extended shadow retreated back to its normal form, bringing with it all the 'time' she had stolen from the residents of the building.

"Fu. It is still far from enough."

She made sure not to kill them. That would draw too much attention, and she didn't want to have to confront Itsuka Shidou again. At least not in the near future. And the fact that he went out at night to patrol the city wasn't helping.

In fact, that gave her a clue as to the identity of that mysterious archer.

She needed to replenish her army of clones if she wanted a chance, and yet, she didn't know if it would be enough. He and the golden girl had destroyed most of her clones with a couple of massive attacks a few days ago.

Her reflections were interrupted by a noise behind her. She turned immediately, and found a strange figure. She could only see a distortion in space, as if she was seeing a pixelated photo.

"Ah, it's you." Kurumi squinted. That was a familiar silhouette for her.

"How did it go? With him." The being spoke with an indistinguishable voice that seemed more like a set of static sounds.

"It was really great. See to believe in fact."

A few months ago, that person appeared in front of her saying that there was a person with the power of various spirits within him. If such a person existed, it would be a big step forward in Kurumi's goals.

And there really was that person. But a much bigger problem arose.

"However, you forgot to mention the small detail that he is ridiculously strong. That boy really did a number on me. It's hard to believe he's human."

She stroked her side. That wound left her very weakened, and that was caused by only one kick. She had to use Zafkiel's power to recover, assuming another expense of her 'time'.

After that day, she could say without hesitation, that Shidou was the most dangerous opponent she had ever fought. Not only because of the strange power he showed to create swords that could pass through an astral dress as if it were mundane cloth, but because of his fighting style.

He fought in the same way as she did, using everything at his disposal and reading several steps ahead. Only he took it to an extreme level. It almost seemed that instead of facing a high school teenager, she was facing a warrior with even more combat experience than she did.

Not to mention Takamiya Mana. The golden girl was already absurdly strong as a wizard, but what she showed during the fight was astonishing, to say the least. Also, at that moment, she noticed something really incredible. Like with Shidou, she felt spiritual power coming from her.

"So, have you given up on him?"

"Fufu. How could I." She mocked the question for a few moments, but her expression returned to one of seriousness shortly after.

"However, defeating him is going to be really difficult, so I will have to take another approach. To use Zafkiel's final bullet, Yud Bet, I need Itsuka Shidou's power. I will definitely eat him. I will definitely not give up."

The offer Shidou offered her was really tempting, but like him, she had a wish. And now that the road to it had opened, she wasn't going to retreat.

In fact, a small part of her came to admire his unwavering determination to pursue his impossible dream.

Zafkiel's last two bullets were different from the rest, in the sense that the price for using them was much higher. The equivalent of all the energy of a spirit. If she used it, she would surely die, or at best, she would not have the energy to accomplish her goal.

"Go back in time... Why do you want to use it?" The being seemed to read Kurumi's mind.

"You know too much. I have never even spoken of it before."

The entity ignored her and asked mockingly again. "So, for what?"

For some reason, Kurumi ended up telling it the plans she hadn't told anyone. "I plan to use that bullet to travel thirty years in the past."

"Thirty years ago? Why at that time?"

"Because thirty years ago, the first spirit appeared in this world. The first spirit that became the origin of all other spirits. I intend to kill him. To erase the fact that spirits appeared in this world. That's... my compassion."

The thing remained silent for a few moments. "You are... surprisingly kind. You and he are very similar."

Kurumi frowned annoyed and immediately shot the spirit. But by the time the bullet came out of the gun, there was no one else but her on that roof.

* * *

In one of the desks on the top floor of the main building of DEM industries, located in Britain, was a man reading some reports on a tablet.

He was a man in his thirties with ash blond hair, and sharp eyes that gave the impression of having lived _many_ things.

"Interesting..."

His name was Isaac Ray Peram Westcott, the CEO of DEM company.

Currently, a smile was forming on his face as he read the report that had arrived a few hours earlier.

A few days ago, he had entrusted Takamiya Mana with the mission of chasing the spirit 'Nightmare', who had been located in a city in Japan.

In fact, he simply wanted to send her away, and the spirit she had been assigned to exterminate suddenly appearing on the other side of the world was pretty opportune.

The girl had enormous potential as a wizard, becoming the second most powerful in the world. But her rebellious attitude towards any kind of order, and her tendency to call lowlife practically everyone, made her quite problematic.

He didn't expect her to succeed. She'd been killing Nightmare over and over for years without ever getting rid of her once and for all.

And while he was at it, he decided that the golden girl would be the perfect guinea pig to try out his new toy, the 'White Licorice'. That CR-Unit was simply a crazy whim, built to have maximum fire power regardless of the health of the user. It could be said to be the ultimate expression of power obtained through science.

Still, when he sent the 'White Licorice' to Japan, he had not expected such a surprising development of events.

"A wizard of the AST being able to use the 'White Licorice' for so long and fight against 'Princess' and 'Hermit' at once. Truly praiseworthy. But, there's something that strikes me in this report, Ellen..."

He spoke to the woman standing like a statue beside his desk. She was a tall woman with pale blond hair and blue eyes. Ellen Mira Mathers, Sir Westcott's secretary, and the acclaimed 'most powerful wizard in the world'.

"What do you mean, Ike?"

"Well, according to the report and witnesses, Sergeant Origami was initially chasing a teenager who was running across the rooftops carrying a little girl... This is real?"

"Well... It really seems ridiculous, but the report comes with some video files belonging to the local cameras."

After saying that, the stoic woman pressed the button of a remote control, and immediately a picture was projected in front of the two. They let the video run to the exact second indicated, and when they stopped it, what they saw made them blink a couple of times.

In the upper left corner they could see the wizard who was using the 'White Licorice', shooting a shower of bullets on a roof. And on that roof, there was a boy about 16 years old carrying a girl a few years younger than him.

Up to that point everything was in line with the report, however absurd it was.

The problem was that nowhere in the report was there any mention of the boy in the picture stopping the bullets with an oriental-looking white sword. The scene seemed straight out of a very exaggerated sci-fi film.

"What the...?" Ellen's stoic expression changed to one of unbelief in seconds.

Even if the wizard was not deploying the full power of that crazy thing, being able to keep up without the help of a realizer was impressive to say the least. Not to mention that sword that could easily cut enchanted bullets of a high caliber.

"This is... It is indeed a truly fascinating discovery. Ellen, I want you to identify that boy if possible."

"Of course... But don't you think there's something wrong here, Ike? Apart from the situation itself."

"What would that be?"

"The way they want it to look, the wizard stole the 'White Licorice' to go to fight 'Princess' and 'Hermit'. However, the chase occurred before that fight. So, you could say that whether the boy or the girl were the main target. The question is, why?"

Westcott stroked his chin as he thought. "That's a rather intriguing question indeed. I think there's no other choice but to go ask that girl directly. Ellen, prepare a trip to Japan for before her trial is held. Give it top priority on my agenda."

"Understood."

* * *

**And that's all for now. Now that DEM has its eye on the anomaly that is King of Fakers, that's when things are going to start to change. And well, from the last line of 'Phantom', you can see that it knows more than it looks. What's that something Phantom didn't want Kotori to see, you'll find out in the next chapter. **

**Yes, this chapter has no divergence in the plot, leaving aside that instead of Kotori vs Origami here we have a chase through the amusement park, and the return of 'excalibur'.**

**Well, the other day I found out this place actually had a poll tool. Since I'm a little undecided, if I've made it clear how things work, by the time I update this I should have an open poll. The purpose would be what my next update would be about, this story or if you want me to start writing the prologue of the next story to _'Similar ideals diferent methods'_.**

**Without much more to say, I bid you farewell for now.**


	8. Chapter 7: being on the conquered side

**See you again, people! Here's the next chapter of this crossover. The previous chapter had pretty good acceptance, and even this story reached 300 follows recently. Wow. Really, thank you all so much for supporting this story.**

**But, moving on to the chapter and reviews, this is a rather relaxed chapter compared to the previous one. As for the subject of "brothers", as you can already imagine, English is not my first language. In Spanish the term "hermanos" includes both "brothers" and "siblings" so I missed some in the translation.**

**Now, as for Death miester's review, that is a brutal spoiler of Date a Live. It's a good thing I already spoiled myself when I started writing this story. But, yes, it's all coldly calculated. As I have already said in some of the previous chapters, King of Fakers completely replacing Shidou and it being not so in the case of Gilgamesh and Mana is not something random, it has a reason behind, apart from the power of the script. I'll leave it at that so I don't spoil you much, but if someone can't resist and wants to know, you can ask me via PM.**

**Without further ado, let the chapter begin.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any right over Type-Moon, the Fate franchise or Date a Live.**

* * *

_"His body was made out of swords."_

_She found herself observing a strange landscape she had never seen before._

_It was a barren hill where life did not grow. The sky was an eternal sunset, covered by a dense fog of rust. And the most impressive thing was what was all over the place. Swords,. Many of them. Of all shapes and sizes, there were swords with their blades stabbed on the ground as far as the view stretched._

_But, as impressive as it was, she only felt one thing when she saw such a landscape._

_Loneliness._

_"His blood was of iron and his heart was of glas."_

_At the top of the hill of swords, she could see a man with his back to her. He was tall, had slightly tanned skin and white hair. He was wearing a black, silver sleeveless breastplate, gray pants and steel-tipped boots. His hips and his left arm were covered with a red cloak, and another part of the cloak was tied on his head._

_He was standing there, looking in the distance. His back was completely firm, and she felt that he could bear even the weight of the world._

_"He has overcome countless battlefields."_

_A man who was always alone, chasing an ever-distant dream. No matter how many times he failed to save them all, his determination never wavered._

_A man who devoted his whole life to helping and making others happy, without receiving anything in return. And in the end, after fulfilling that dream, he died completely alone on this hill of swords._

_She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. But for some reason, she also felt her heart was about to shatter at the sight of this man's fate._

_"Not even once retreating. Not even once understood."_

_And that's when she finally saw the man's face. Those steel grey eyes, full of unwavering resolve._

_That look, and that face... Although there were some differences, there was no doubt about it. That man was..._

_"The hero lies here alone, forging dreams in a hill of swords."_

_Her Onii-chan._

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Kotori woke up abruptly and screaming. She sat on her bed, breathing heavily and sweating.

She tried to calm down, but it was really difficult. Although she did not fully remember what she had dreamed, it had been truly shocking and painful.

She felt something hot falling down her cheek. She touched it with her hand and realized they were tears.

It was no wonder. Because the very thought of that happening to her beloved Onii-chan if he followed that path broke her heart.

"Onii-chan..."

Her hand groped at her bedside table. She needed to put on her black ribbons urgently. She was beginning to hyperventilate, and she needed to calm down as soon as possible.

Her mind screamed at her to go find her brother. She had to check that he was still there, next to her. That he was not completely alone, nor had he died alone on a hill of swords.

"Kotori!"

Her bedroom door was almost torn off its hinges, and Shidou burst in there with a worried face. When he heard his little sister's scream full of fear and anguish, he had jumped out of his bed and ran to her room.

"Onii-chan!"

The little rationality she had left died when she saw him. She immediately leapt toward him and hugged him, burying her face in his chest.

"Don't leave, Onii-chan! Don't be alone!"

Shidou was alarmed as Kotori began to sob ceaselessly as she clung to him with all her might. He didn't know what had happened to her to get like that, but he had to do something to calm her down.

He placed his hand on her head and began gently stroking her loose hair.

"Don't worry, Kotori. Here's your Onii-chan, and I'm not going anywhere."

After several minutes, Kotori finally calmed down and ended up falling asleep peacefully.

* * *

The next morning, Shidou performed his morning routine as usual. The panic attack that Kotori suffered that night was troubling, but until she woke up he couldn't ask her about it.

However, as he was coming out of a bath to wash his sweat, he stopped to see his image in the mirror.

There was something strange in his hair, and as much as he blinked or rubbed his eyes, the image was still the same. He tried twirling his hair, but it didn't do any good either.

"This is troublesome."

A lock of his bangs was no longer auburn, but had turned into white.

"I guess this was to be expected."

After years without the need to project a noble phantasm, his body remained with its usual features. However, during the recent incidents he was forced to project quite a few swords and in a short period of time.

Projecting a noble phantasm was madness that would lead to the self-destruction of any magus. Even with the Unlimited Blade Works providing the necessary materials, using the tracing put his body under great stress.

If this continued, it would not take long for his appearance to return to the same hi had as a heroic spirit.

The hair and skin were easy to cover. The real problem would come when he had to explain why his eyes stopped being golden and went to a gray hue.

"In the worst case, I can always buy contact lenses and hair dye."

He let it be and went to start making breakfast. He would cross that bridge when he had to.

Meanwhile, Kotori woke up and began her day. She put on her black ribbons instead of the white ones like she used to do when she was home.

She was still shaken by the experience of that night. Leaving aside the embarrasnebt she felt in remembering how she embraced her Onii-chan, her head was filled with questions about that strange dream.

What was that hill of swords? Who was that man who looked like an adult version of Shidou? And more importantly, how did that dream relate to her Onii-chan?

The poem she heard during the dream was undoubtedly the same as Shidou wrote when he was a child. According to him, that poem was related to his 'magecraft', but after seeing that dream, she felt that the poem had a very deep meaning.

Kotori changed her pajamas for her clothes to stay at home and went down to the dining room to wait for breakfast. She wouldn't come to any conclusions if she kept squeezing her head, and it would be better to ask the person in question if he knew anything.

As she entered the dining room, she found her brother already making breakfast as usual. He must have heard it when he turned to look at her.

"Good morning, Kotori. Are you feeling better?"

"Good morning, Shidou. Yes, I am calmer... Sorry to make you worry, again."

"You don't have to apologize. Anyway, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. And Tohka and Yoshino will not be long in coming."

Just as he said, as she sat on the sofa to watch TV, they heard the door of the house open.

"Morning, Shidou! Is breakfast ready yet?"

"W-with permission..."

"Yaho! We're here, Shidou-kun!"

The two spirits with their sealed powers casually broke into the Itsuka residence. After months, they had become accustomed to breakfast and dinner together, practically as a family. One, quite peculiar and dysfunctional, but united.

"It will be soon. You can start preparing the table."

"Umu!"

Listening to him, the girls put the dishes, silverware and glasses on the table, and shortly after they sat down for breakfast.

The first to bring up a topic of conversation was Tohka, as she always used to do. But that time she said something that stopped everyone.

"Hey Shidou, you have something weird in your hair."

Kotori stopped in her tracks and looked at her brother. After looking at him carefully, her eyes widened in shock.

"Do you mean this?" Shidou asked Tohka pointing to his lock of white hair.

Tohka nodded, but before he could answer her, he was interrupted by the sound of Kotori suddenly rising from her chair.

"Shidou, what happened to your hair!?" She screamed hysterically.

That color, it was identical to that man's hair on that hill of swords.

He blinked seeing Kotori so nervous, but he responded anyway. "You could say it's a side effect of using my magecraft. Projecting noble phantasms is a stress burden on my body. However, it's nothing to worry about."

Kotori continued to stare at him for a few seconds before sighing relieved. "I guess I exaggerated things..."

"Shidou, what's a noble something?"

The attention of both sibilngs was focused on a Tohka confused by the strange term. Yoshino at her side also showed interest in the matter.

"Yoshino and Yoshinon also want to know what that is, Shidou-kun."

Shidou stroked his chin thinking about how to explain what was a crystallized legend to a couple of supernatural beings who were just beginning to integrate into human society.

"Do you remember that sword I shot at Origami?"

Both nodded. "That was really impressive, Shidou! You blew up part of the mecha-mecha machine worn by Tobiichi Origami in one blow."

"That was a noble phantasm. In very simple terms, they are very powerful weapons that humans used in ancient times."

The two spirits seemed to understand the explanation and resumed their task of devouring breakfast.

"Wait! Was that a sword what you shot with a bow!? And it was a legendary one!?" This time it was Kotori who asked in disbelief.

"Well, yes..."

"How!? It is impossible to shoot a sword with a bow!"

"It's posible with a strong enough bow. I simply altered the sword to make it more aerodynamic."

Kotori rubbed her forehead as she took over the information and turned her attention back to breakfast. Her brother's magecraft focused solely on swords was something interesting that she would like to know more about, but at the moment she had enough to think with that dream.

In fact, this was a good time to ask.

"Shidou, I'd like to talk about last night."

"Me too. What happened to you? Did you have a nightmare?"

"More or less..." She took a deep breath. Thinking about it still made her restless. "I had a really strange dream. It was about a lonely man on top of a hill of swords."

It was almost imperceptible, but Kotori managed to watch as Shidou's eyebrows rose for a moment.

"I too dreamed something like that!" Surprisingly, it was Tohka who said that. Her enthusiastic expression faded and was replaced by one in conflict.

"I don't know why, but my chest hurts just from thinking about that man..."

"I dreamt it too... that man... looked a lot like Shidou-san... It was a very sad view..."

The three girls looked at Shidou. He had a serious expression, but when he realized he was being looked at he returned to his usual expression.

"That's a rather strange coincidence. But, I didn't have any such dream..."

Inside, he was quite agitated. He knew that by being linked to him, his memories of his past might leak through the link.

But after months in which neither Tohka nor Yoshino had commented on it, he had ended up discarding it. And now all of a sudden, all three of them dreamed with his past.

This, combined with the matter of him returning to his appearance as a heroic spirit, was really troubling.

But why now of all times? Did it have anything to do with him and Kotori recovering their lost memories?

The subject was left on the air, and all four finished breakfast. It was still quite early, so they didn't have to hurry to go to school.

Shidou began to wash the dishes, which normally wouldn't take long, if it weren't for the stack of plates that Tohka left at every meal. Kotori offered to help expedite the process while Tohka and Yoshino watched TV.

After several minutes of silence, Kotori began the conversation again. "Shidou, do you know anything about Mana's condition?"

"There's not much I can tell you. I can only theorize that her case is similar to mine. Why do you ask?"

"Well..." She looked away. "Just curious, that's all. What she did in the fight with Kurumi was very much like what you did while Origami was chasing us, so I thought maybe it was somehow related to your magecraft."

"You're wrong." Shidou's response was swift and strong.

She turned to look at him with a bit of surprise, and from the way he was just as surprised, it seemed that he responded unconsciously.

"What she did on the roof is the opposite of what I do."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The swords I project are just copies, llusions created from a mental image. On the other hand, I can tell you with just a glance that all the weapons that Mana fired were the real deal."

Kotori took a few seconds to connect the dots, and when she did, she couldn't help gasping.

"You mean those were all real legendary weapons!? But how!?"

"That's something I don't know either." Technically, he wasn't lying. Not even Gilgamesh himself knew how he ended up like that.

The two remained silent as they finished cleaning the dishes. However, that didn't last long.

"There's something I've been wondering, Shidou." Tohka spoke out of blue.

"What is it?"

"When you sealed Kotori's power, you kissed her, didn't you?"

Upon hearing it, the two siblings blushed, Kotori more. As she plunged into her own world and softly touched her lips, Shidou answered the question.

"Well yes..."

"Then, do you remember our promise, Shidou?" This time, it was Tohka who began to blush as she approached Shidou.

He began to delve into his memory to find out what promise he made. During the Yoshino incident, he promised to save all the spirits, but he doubted that was what Tohka was refering to... Oh, there was also that strange promise that she forced him to make that same day.

He swallowed noisily. "You mean about the kissing?"

She nodded and put her hands on his cheeks to catch him. "S-since you kissed Kotori, it's my turn to k-kiss you too."

Before he could say anything, Tohka pressed her lips against his. Even though this was the third time, Shidou's brain went numb. Well, the exact reason for that was that, unlike the previous times, Tohka put her tongue in Shidou's mouth and started toying with his.

"Tohka-chan is really bold! Yoshino should learn from her." Yoshinon spoke, while Kotori and Yoshino could only look at the scene with total flushing.

The kiss soon broke. Shidou stood still as his brain restarted after that intense experience for him, and Tohka looked away to hide her excessive blush.

"I did it like they did on TV, and it really felt good..."

By the time Shidou returned to reality, he saw that Yoshino had approached him. Her face, however red it was, was full of resolution.

"Do you want a kiss too, Yoshino?"

The response he obtained was a vigorous assent. But, before he could kneel to grant her request, he felt a tug on his shirt.

"Onii-chan, I also want a kiss goodbye before going to school!"

He turned ankwardly to look at his sister. That was something she wouldn't say, at least not in her 'commander mode'. But when he saw her, he realized that at some point she had taken off her black ribbons and put on the white ones.

With the two girls clinging to him for a kiss, a question arose in his mind. Since when had his life become so messed up?

"Who cares..." Ignoring any thought that what he was going to do was immoral, he granted their wish.

* * *

Origami was dragged by Captain Ryouko out of the courtroom where her trial took place.

She had gone there prepared to accept the punishment to be imposed on her. She was already ready to take the consequences of her actions when she stole the 'White Licorice', so she wouldn't run away.

And as she had expected, her punishment was that she would never have access to a realizer again.

Or that would have been her punishment, if it hadn't been for the very CEO of DEM industries coming to the trial and blackmailing the officiating general into reducing her punishment to a couple of months' house arrest. According to him, instead of punishing her, they should have praised her for being able to use that CR-Unit and have taken the initiative to go and fight with two spirits.

She was glad she didn't have to give up her post at the AST. So, she could continue to seek her longed-for revenge. Although she had not seen Shidou since the amusement park incident, she had ended up accepting what he said.

It was Itsuka Kotori who set the fire five years ago, but she was not the one who killed her parents. Now she was back at square one. But as long as she could keep fighting, there was still a chance that she could achieve her revenge.

However, regardless he was her benefactor, she could not trust Isaac Westcott. Even though it was the same day she met this man, all her instincts warned her that this man couldn't be trust. The looks he'd been giving her before she left the courtroom didn't help.

She paid little attention as her squad mates celebrated that she had not been expelled.

There was still something to think about. Those were the strange powers that Itsuka Shidou showed when he was desperately protecting his sister.

The sensors that the White Licorice had installed among the entire pile of destructive weaponry detected them as spiritual waves. At the time she discarded it thinking they came from Kotori, but after seeing how he suddenly had Efreet's power, and all those swords that appeared out of nowhere, she no longer knew what to think.

Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps across the hall. She turned to look in that direction and saw Westcott, along with a girl in sunglasses who was supposed to be his secretary, walking towards them.

Ryouko and her two companions stopped speaking, and the four stood firm as they passed by.

However, to everyone's surprise, Westcott stopped right in front of Origami.

"Young wizard, I'd like you to accompany me and my secretary to ask you a few questions."

The man's smile and intense gaze gave her a sense of discomfort. It was like she felt something like fear just from being around him.

Although, compared to the fear she felt when she saw Shidou's cold eyes, this was practically nothing.

Origami looked at Ryouko for confirmation, and she nodded slowly. It seemed that she was also affected by the pressure exerted by Westcott's presence.

She nodded without saying anything, and the man's smile widened.

"Excellent. Now, let's go somewhere more private."

Doing what she was told, she followed the two to a disused barracks room. They must have prepared it beforehand.

Westcott sat on top of some boxes on the other side of the room, while the woman stood by the door. Origami stood between the two, her heart beating stronger and stronger because of the pressure felt in the atmosphere.

"You don't have to be so tense, Miss Origami. We just want to know a couple of things about the incident a month ago."

She swallowed saliva as she tried to calm down and keep her composure. "What do you want to know?"

"We want you to tell us why you were chasing a teenager named Itsuka Shidou and his sister before engaging in combat with 'Princess' and 'Hermit'."

She did her best to hide her shock at the question. Answering that question could put Shidou in danger. It was already a miracle that the big guns left the Itsuka family alone as compensation for being involved in the incident.

But right now she was cornered in this place, so all she could do was respond vaguely.

"I suspected that Itsuka Kotori was the fire spirit, 'Efreet', who had hidden among society as 'Nightmare' had done. However, it seems that my suspicions were not entirely correct."

"I see..." Westcott stroked his chin as he pondered.

"The other thing we want to clear up is about the White Licorice. Before coming here we took a look at it, and we could see that it was badly damaged. His left side is completely destroyed. I don't mind if that crazy thing is destroyed for a good cause like yours. But, I'd like to know, who was it who did that damage to that thing?"

Origami remained silent again. Even she is still surprised at the attack Shidou threw at her. That arrow that gave off a frightening aura was able to pierce as if nothing the territory surrounding the White Licorice.

"It was Itsuka Shidou." She was startled to realize that the one who had spoken was herself.

She planned to say that it had been 'Princess' to divert attention, but her mouth moved on her own.

That's when she noticed. The pressure she was feeling since she entered the room wasn't just from being around these two. There was a territory deployed in this room, and somehow it had forced her to speak.

They had deceived her. Origami couldn't help but clench her teeth at the smug smile Westcott put on.

"So it was him, huh? That boy is full of surprises. Anyway, that was all we wanted from you, Miss Origami. You can go if you like. I have high expectations for you. If you have anything to worry about, don't hesitate to call us. Deus Ex Machina will spare no effort to support your cause."

Origami frowned as she came out of the room after receiving a phone card from the woman.

"Are you sure you didn't want to ask her anything else, Ike?" Ellen Mathers spoke for the first time since she arrived at the site.

"No, that's enough. Besides, she had already noticed our little trick, so getting more information from her wouldn't have been possible. As expected from a genius who could use that crazy thing without any magical refinement."

"But this is worrying. How could that boy perform an attack like that?"

"That's one more mystery to the list. All we know about him is that he's an orphan who was adopted by the Itsuka family eight years ago, and since then he's lived a normal life. Obviously, there's a lot more behind that cover. And there's also the matter of 'Princess'..."

"In fact, we have more information about the girl named Yatogami Tohka who looks so much like 'Princess'."

Ellen took a picture of the folder she was carrying and showed it to Isaac. In it was seen the girl in question in a school uniform, and beside her was Itsuka Shidou. They both seemed to be walking towards the school, and although Tohka seemed completely oblivious to the camera, Shidou was looking at it sideways.

"Looks like they both go to the same class at Raizen High and are very close."

"Fascinating. Who would say that anomalies tend to come together. This is too much to be a coincidence..."

He continued to read the report, his smile growing stronger with each passing second.

"The school travel season is near. It's our chance to finish off with two birds with one stone. I'll let you handle this, my dear Ellen, the strongest wizard in the world. Even if it is a calamity that destroys the world and an individual with unknown powers, I trust you will not lose."

"Of course. No matter who the opponent is, I won't lose."

* * *

It was mid-July, and after the end-of-term exams, there came a fairly important event in school life. Or at least that's what all my classmates said.

It was the school trip before the summer break. Both Tohka and I went on the trip as it was mandatory, and also, Kotori continued to insist that I use this opportunity to relax and stop concentrating on finding any clues to Kurumi's whereabouts.

But even before I started the journey, I could feel that there was something fishy going on here. And not only was I, but Kotori and Reine agreed with me.

The trip was originally to be to Okinawa, but due to the insistence of a travel company and a series of 'coincidences', we ended up traveling to an island called Arubi. If that were not suspicious enough, Kotori investigated the company and found that it was affiliated with DEM industries.

With all this, Kotori decided that Fraxinus would accompany us to the island, and they would also support me in the event that Tohka's mental state was destabilized. Reine also came with us, still with her cover as an assistant teacher in my class.

My sister was the only one who could not come. Apparently she had an important meeting with Ratatoskr's big shots.

But, the suspicious things didn't end there. The company that organized the trip assigned a photographer to our group to take pictures during the trip and then use them to attract more tourists. She introduced herself as Ellen Mira Mathers, a woman of Northern descent who seemed to be of an age not far from ours.

So far everything was more or less passable as a normal procedure. The problem was that ninety percent of the photos she took during the plane trip were of Tohka to Origami and me.

Her focusing on the three least normal people in the place was weird, but it could be understood because the three of us were sitting in the same row of seats. But I caught her looking in our direction several times while I was pretending to be asleep.

To that we add that Tohka said she had the feeling that we were being watched, the feeling I felt when we approached the island as if I was entering a bounded field, and that communications with Fraxinus were not working on the island.

This smelled like a trap all over it.

By now, we had reached our destination, and Tohka and I had fallen behind the rest of the group as soon as we arrived.

She had insisted on looking for who was watching us, and I decided to follow her so she wouldn't get lost. I scanned all around with my reinforced eyes, but found no one or anything suspicious.

Then I looked up at the sky. If Ratatoskr had an aircraft like Fraxinus, it would not be strange for DEM to have something similar.

Even though the sky was completely clear, I couldn't find anything either. If there really was an airship watching us, it would surely be at a ridiculous height like Fraxinus. One where I couldn't see them, let alone shoot them down with a broken phantasm.

With nothing else to do, we had no choice but to regroup with our classmates.

"Come on, Tohka. If we hurry we will catch up with them before they enter the museum."

"Wait, Shidou. I feel there is something strange... but it is different."

I looked back at Tohka with an eyebrow raised, but she continued to look out at the sea. There was nothing remarkable about the view other than it was very nice.

Seconds later I could see what she was referring to. In just a few moments the clear blue sky was clouded by dense gray storm clouds, and the calm sea breeze turned into a fierce wind that began to make the objects around us fly.

"What the heck!? Did the weather guy failed his prediction spectacularly again!?"

Without stopping to think too much about exactly what was going on, I grabbed Tohka's hand so she wouldn't fly away and altered the soles of my shoes so they had heels and so I could keep my feet on the ground.

Needless to say, this was definitely not normal. What looked like a huge hurricane appeared out of nowhere on this island. Something of this magnitude should have been easily detected by meteorologists.

"Tch. We must get out of here as soon as possible. Tohka-" What I was going to say was interrupted when Tohka shouted at my side.

"Shidou! Watch out!"

"Huh?"

I turned to look at her, and just at that moment something big went through where my head had been a few moments earlier. The next thing I knew, that was a garbage can, and it directly hit Tohka's face. She fell to the ground in shock and with her eyes turning.

"Tohka!? Resist!"

As much as I shook her, she did not respond. With her completely unconscious, I had no choice but to carry her and take us both to a safe place.

I reinforced my legs and carried her in princess style. I started to jog lightly to where I remembered the rest of the class were heading for, but I stopped in my tracks when my senses picked up something that sounded alarms in my head.

I raised my head to look in the direction of that huge magical presence. Up there in the sky, in the center of the storm, there were two figures colliding with each other.

With my reinforced eyes, I could tell they were two practically identical girls, with orange hair and blue eyes. They were wearing strange suits made of straps, padlocks on the neck, wrist and leg, and what looked like a metal wing on their back. The only difference was that one had these last complements on the left side of her body and the other on the right. That, and they each carried a different weapon. One carried what looked like a huge purple spear, while the other carried a kind of pendulum tied to a long chain.

And of course, those two girls were spirits.

I should have known better. A radical change in the climate... this situation is very similar to that of Yoshino.

I clenched my teeth as I firmly planted my feet on the ground so as not to fly because of the violent gusts of air that came out with each clash.

If this kept up, not only would I not be able to reach a place to shelter, the entire island would be razed to the ground. I had to stop them somehow, and I had to do it fast.

"You two, stop fighting!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, but the winds prevented my voice from reaching them.

I wanted to do this peacefully because well, I probably have to do the same procedure with them as I did with Tohka, Yoshino and Kotori. And if the guy who shot swords at them before tries to seduce they, I doubt they'll take it too well.

I kept that option as an emergency plan anyway. Although, there was only one other thing I could think of to get their attention.

It was good that Tohka was unconscious right now. If my voice alone did not reach them, I would have to add something else to give it an extra push.

"STOP RIGHT NOW!"

This time, the two stopped in their tracks and turned their heads to look in my direction so fast that their necks could even snap.

Yes. That scream was accompanied by a good deal of murderous intent. Not on the level of when I was fighting Kurumi, but enough for even a supernatural being to be startled.

The storm calmed down, and with a little reinforcement in my ears I could hear what they were saying as they descended upon me cautiously.

"Shiver. Yuzuru felt a frightening aura coming from the direction that human is." The one with the locks on the left spoke in a flat voice. In fact, despite saying that, her face remained stoic and unchanged after I stopped pointing at them with murderous intent.

"Impossible. I could feel the cold breath of death blowing down my neck. My magic eye did not foresee this..." The other girl was just the opposite. Her face was a mixture of caution and surprise, and she spoke in strange terms.

The two landed near me, one on each side. I had successfully stopped them, but now their attention was focused on me, and Tohka was still unconscious in my arms.

The one who showed the most emotions of the two spoke shortly afterwards. "Who are you who dares to interrupt our fated duel? What are your intentions? Based on what you answer, I will... err... pierce you with my Schatten Lanze."

My eyebrow rose by reflection. Betraying what she said, I felt no hostile intention coming from her.

"Pointing. The name of the spear does not match the name you gave it before."

"It doesn't matter now! Be quiet, Yuzuru!"

"Objection. Yuzuru thinks that Kaguya is not the best person to talk to this boy. That earlier didn't sound very convincing."

The newly named Kaguya snarled a grumble hearing that. They both went off on a limb and started arguing with each other, forgetting about me.

Seeing as how they were likely going to resume their fight, I coughed on purpose to get their attention again.

"I don't know what this fated duel is, but I'm not going to let you destroy this place and kill all the innocent people in it."

That made the two of them stare at me perplexed. Soon after, Kaguya put on a smile that reminded me of Gilgamesh.

"Ho... You have the guts to talk to us like that, human. However, whether it's courage or stupidity, stopping our sacred dispute to know which of the two is the real Yamai is an offense. Will you take responsibility for this?"

I frowned at that. Apparently, they are very obsessed with the dispute.

"That dispute you're talking about, can't it be resolved in any other way than violence?"

"Answer. This is the hundredth battle Kaguya and Yuzuru have. We have already tried all the existing methods, but the result remains undecided with 25 wins for Yuzuru, 25 wins for Kaguya and 49 draws. Therefore, all that remains is to decide this in a duel to see which of the two is more powerful."

"That's right, so you better not bother-" She suddenly stopped talking, and her eyes opened as if she had just realized something very important.

Then her gaze shifted to Yuzuru and she inspected her from head to toe.

"Question. Is something wrong, Kaguya?"

She chuckled and began to speak with bizarre and exaggerated gestures. "Kuku... I thought of a good method. Even though we've had duels of all kinds, don't you think there's still a match where we haven't decided the winner?"

"Question. What is that method in which we have not yet determined the winner?"

Seeing Yuzuru's confusion, Kaguya chuckled again and turned to look at me.

I strained myself at once. I had a very bad feeling about this, so I prepared to leave Tohka on the ground and trace Kanshou and Bakuya as quickly as possible.

"In what we have not yet decided the winner is... CHARM!" As she said that, she spread her legs, placed her left hand in front of her face with her fingers stretched out, and stretched her right arm back.

"Huh?" All the tension and seriousness of the moment faded instantly.

"Yamai, the real spirit and daughter of hurricanes, not only has power and intelligence, but also the charm and beauty enough to make the creator of the universe jealous. Don't you think that is necessary?"

"Reflecting..." After looking at Kaguya for a few moments, Yuzuru replied. "Answer. I see. It is true that we have not competed to decide that yet."

"Kuku... That is normal. The number of people who have made their way in our conflict is non-existent... That's because there wasn't supposed to be an appearance of a third person that we have to trust with the decisions of our conflict... But at this moment..."

She turned to point at me directly. "You who carry the power of death, what is your name?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at that nickname. I had been called many things, but I could say without a doubt that was the weirdest.

"Itsuka Shidou."

"Shidou. Fumu. A fragile name for someone who has a contract with death, but it will do. All right then. Right now you will assume the role of judge."

"Does my opinion matter here?"

I was completely ignored again as they talked to each other.

"What do you think, Yuzuru? This showdown, do you have the courage to accept it? Kuku, well, I can already see who will be the winner. If you roll your tail now, you will not receive the humiliations of a coward."

"Denial. Such a thing is impossible. There is no reason why I can lose. Yuzuru was always the most charming. All men would be easily defeated."

The two of them continued to argue hotly about who was more beautiful. Which I did not understand.

Both were beauties in their own right that easily competed with Tohka. The thing was that they both had identical faces. The only difference was that, well... Yuzuru had more chest size, but that's left to everyone's personal taste.

"This is the last duel! The winner will absorb her opponent and become the real Yamai! The rule of the match is simple and clear! The first to make Shidou fall in love wins!"

"Agreement. I gladly accept this showdown."

I pinched my nose bridge to mitigate the growing migraine. "What I got myself in to again?"

Fortunately, Reine came to my rescue. If it wasn't for her, it would have been a headache to deal with the scene that I made when I arrived at the museum with Tohka in my arms and two unknown girls trying to seduce me in a not-so-disguised way.

At least, on the condition that I would be the judge of their dispute, I managed to get them to change their astral dresses for copies of Tohka's school uniform. Seriously, those dresses seemed like the product of someone's perverse imagination with a fetish I'd rather not name.

The thing is, Reine put them through exchange students who joined the trip in the last-minute.

Right now, we were in one of the museum's offices while the other students and Okamine-sensei made the visit to the place. I was sitting in a wide with Kaguya on my right side and Yuzuru on my left side. Tohka was lying on another couch, still unconscious, and Reine was sitting in a chair in front of me.

"Thank you for your help, Reine. I'm sorry to cause you trouble..."

"Don't worry about it. Instead of that..." Her gaze turned towards the two beauties clinging to my arms.

"Come on, Shidou. All you have to do is choose me." Kaguya began to whisper to me with her mouth barely inches from my ear. "By swearing allegiance to this Yamai Kaguya, that body, and even that heart will be fine if you say you will give them to me."

"Denial." As if to counter Kaguya's attempt, Yuzuru also came very close to whisper to me, and began to drag her finger across my chest. "Nothing good will come if you choose Kaguya. By all means, give a clear vote to Yuzuru."

I never thought I'd find myself in a situation where maintaining my usual stoic expression would be so difficult. More to the point, I never thought a girl would actively try to seduce me, let alone two girls at once.

I could feel my cheeks burning and I was sweating all over the place. Damn hormones. Keeping my 'sword' under control was becoming more and more difficult.

Reine gave a solemn expression, but was betrayed by the way her shoulders trembled at the contained laughter.

"I left you less than half an hour alone and you ended up stumbling on, as Kotori would say, an eroge situation. Your skills are terrifying, Shidou."

I let out a heavy sigh when I heard that. "If you put it like that, it really looks like I'm going around trying to hit on any girl I see."

"Kuku... This is really beneficial for you, isn't it? You're going to get even a moment of affection from me. Even being blessed by death, that's something a human couldn't even dream of, so rejoice in your fortune."

Reine looked at me strangely from what she had just said, but I could only shrug. I really don't know why she insisted on saying that I was related to death.

Maybe she confused the murder intention with that? But I really held back enough not to scare them and just draw their attention.

"Skeptic. If it's Yuzuru I can still understand it, but are there any boys who would be happy to be approached by Kaguya?"

"Fufu. It is useless no matter how many times you try to provoke me like this. It will all become clear when you see the conclusion of the duel. Well, Shidou, it's fine to say it now. Me or Yuzuru, which of the two is more charming as a woman?"

"Asking. Yuzuru or the spoiled Kaguya? Which one of us is prettier?"

"Wait, what about that weird sense for insults!"

"Ignore. Instead of the crying baby Kaguya, Yuzuru is much better."

As they argued, again, they began to stick their bodies against mine, making my situation more difficult. Seeing as how they were beating around the bush again, I decided to step in.

"Wait a minute. I know this is one of your many duels, but you still haven't explained to me why you're fighting in the first place."

"Oh, haven't we explained it to you yet?" Kaguya lifted her chin haughtily. "We were originally one spirit named Yamai."

"Approval. However, coming several times to this world made Yamai split in two."

Well, seeing as how the two of them look practically like clones, that makes pretty much sense, although I have nothing in my own experience to compare their case to.

"And why is that so?"

"The only one who knows about it is the goddess of fate who dwells in the heavens. Fuun, that evil goddess sure is haunting us because she's bored. She occasionally uses unsystematic dice to make decisions and ignores the truth and reasons."

I just raised an eyebrow as I didn't understand much of what she said, but luckily Yuzuru came to my rescue.

"Translation. What Kaguya wants to say is that she is not sure."

"Aah..." Was all that chunny talk really just to say that she had no idea about it?

Kaguya coughed, with red cheeks for some reason, before continuing. "And so we who were separated in two came to see each other's faces, and in our body, we realized our mission and destiny that were engraved in our blood. YES! We realized that there could only be one Yamai spirit!"

"Explanation. Kaguya and Yuzuru realized that we would eventually become one again. "We knew" would be the best way to say it. Yuzuru and Kaguya, the moment our existence broke apart, we came to understand what would happen to our body."

"And that's why you two are into the whole dueling thing..." That was a lot to take on. I thought I'd seen _many _things in my previous life, most of them trying to kill me, but this situation was new even to me.

This only adds yet more questions to the mystery of what exactly is a spirit.

My thoughts were interrupted when I noticed that they were both pulling back from my arms and moving closer to me.

"But enough of the chitchat. It is time for you to choose one of us."

"Agreement. Please, Shidou, give us your verdict now."

"Still, even if you tell me that..."

I glanced at Reine to try to ask for some help, and she let out a sigh before getting up tired and looking at the two girls beside me.

"You said you were Kaguya and Yuzuru, right? You two, in order to become the true spirit Yamai, are now competing in for Shidou in a match... is there no mistake in that?"

The two girls for the first time recognized Reine's presence and turned to look at her.

"That's exactly right. I don't care if you're watching, but if you're trying to be an obstacle, then I'm not gonna hold back, you know?"

"Asking. You are?"

"I'm just a teacher..." She lied to them with a poker face that could rival mine perfectly. "Shin, take care of Tohka... Kaguya, Yuzuru, there's a little chat I want to have with you two. Please follow me."

As I expected, and surely Reine too, they did not obey her right away.

"Kuku... and when I thought about what you were going to say. Why should someone like me take orders from a human?"

"Rejection. Yuzuru wants to stay with Shidou."

Reine simply shrugged. "Although it may not seem like it, Shin is really clumsy on these issues. Listening to your conversation, I think this has no objection to the two of you."

"What...?"

"Judging by your reactions, it's obvious, isn't it? In my eyes, you are lovely and pretty girls. But still, he still doesn't choose either one."

The two spirits stared at her very confused.

"To get through his wall of density, you're gonna need to do a lot better. From my point of view, I wouldn't care if it is just one of you."

After saying that, Reine opened the office door, ignoring the deadpan look I was giving her. Both girls looked at each other before they let go of my arms to stand up and follow her.

* * *

Already in the afternoon, everyone went to the hotel where we would spend the night the following days. Everyone except me.

The reason was simple. While everyone was settling into their rooms, I was watching Tohka until she woke up, and also Kaguya and Yuzuro. At least, I don't know what Reine told them, but since then they calmed down and were no longer attached to me like limps.

I let out another long sigh. I had already lost count of how many times I did it, but I had the feeling that at this rate my hair would turn white even faster.

Right now I was walking through the hotel halls heading to Reine's room to start planning what we were going to do with the spirits. If already trying to make a spirit fall in love with me was a challenge for me, imagine TWO of them, and at the same time.

But, still lost in my thoughts, I noticed something sticking out the corner at the end of the hall.

I stopped to take a closer look, and I realized it was a pair of orange-haired heads. It didn't take me long to recognize Kaguya and Yuzuru, staring at me.

"You two... what are you doing?"

Realizing that I was speaking to them, they went out into the hall and approached me.

"Kuku... Not bad for noticing my presence. Or should I say it was to be expected?"

"Pointing. That's because the one who was hiding did it very badly."

"I don't want to hear that coming from you! I was hiding better than you!"

"Objection. There is no reason why Kaguya can hide better than Yuzuru."

I refrained from pointing out that, even without being able to feel their overwhelming magical presence, anyone who had no eye problem would have seen them.

At the end of their discussion, they grabbed my arms again and began to drag me down the aisles.

"Fufu... allow me to say it. You can follow me."

"Guaranteed. Please come this way."

I let them take me where they wanted, and before long we got to a couple of doors with a blue curtain hanging next to one and a red one next to the other. It was the entrance to the hotel's outdoor bathroom.

"Well? Why have you brought me to the baths?"

Kaguya simply chuckled again. "The impure darkness has accumulated too much in your body. I allow you to purify that body."

"Eh?" What is she talking about? There's no way someone put a curse on me and I didn't realize it.

"Translation. Please go into the bathroom and clean your sweat. That's what she said."

"Aah..." Right, I can't take that chunny stuff seriously. Anyway, it's impressive that Yuzuru can understand her and translate what she says.

"But isn't it a little early to take a bath? Also, I don't even have any spare clothes or towels..."

"Nonsense. Stop complaining about trivial matters and go purify those impurities."

"Request. Please go ahead. Bathroom preparations have already been made in advance."

My gaze turned to the floor next to the entrance, where, as Yuzuru had said, there was a folded yukata and towel.

A part of me felt bad. They took the trouble to prepare this for me without me having done anything to help them in their problem. On the other hand, for some reason I smell these two are up to something.

I let out a sigh, again. It wasn't as if Reine had given me an exact time to go to her room.

"Fiine, I'll go in."

"Kuku... As long as you understand."

"Praise. Yuzuru respects Shidou's decision."

I grabbed the yukata and the towel and went into the locker room, not before checking that I was entering the men's room. After taking out me clothes, I went into the outdoor bathroom and washed my body and hair quickly.

The place was a huge tub made of rock and filled with hot brown water that gave off steam. In addition, the sea was close to the tub, making the waves heard as they broke against the cliff.

After the wash, I put the towel on my head and went into the bathtub. I felt the effect immediately and couldn't help but sigh as I let my body relax. That made me look like an old man tired of life, which wasn't so out of touch with reality either.

Being so early, the place was empty and in complete silence, which turned out quite nice. The Yamai thing made me forget that from the beginning this was a vacation trip to relax. And right now, that's exactly what I was going to do. This would be like the small moment of relaxation that I always had at home when I bathed, in which I forgot about this whole spirit mess.

Or at least, that's what I wish it was.

I heard the bathroom sliding door open and the sound of footsteps walking towards the bathtub.

I opened my eyes lazily to see who it was. I was with my back resting on a large rock in the middle of the bathtub, looking directly at the door, so I immediately recognized the pair of people who had entered.

And I really regretted doing it.

"WHAT!? What are you two doing here!? This is the men's bathroom!"

Yes, those who were approaching me were none other than Kaguya and Yuzuru, practically naked. As they entered the bathtub, the towels that covered their 'feminine parts' were moistened, causing them to stick to their bodies and further emphasize their curves. It was a view that didn't leave much to the imagination.

I felt my cheeks get very hot, and my hand quickly grabbed the towel on my head to put it around my 'sword'. Bathing with a towel was considered disrespectful here in Japan, but this was an emergency.

Seeing my reaction, Kaguya crossed her arms and lifted her chin proudly. Though, her blush and stutter betrayed her.

"Kuku... W-what do you think? As expected, even you have no choice but to be amazed at my charm."

Yuzuru chuckled. "Mock. Charm you say. It is the first time that Yuzuru hears that Kaguya has something like that."

"Fuun, I will immediately make you cry. Shidou will fall in love with my charm!"

"Challenge accepted. Yuzuru accepts."

After saying that, the two will catch me positioning on each side of me. From their looks, I could tell they were really serious about this.

"Shidou, allow me to make that body of yours no longer able to be satisfied by anyone other than me."

"Objection. Yuzuru will make Shidou a victim of my body."

That made a chill run through my spine even with the warmth of the place. I swallowed very loudly just thinking about what these two wanted to do to me. My mind was not ready for this.

If a few years ago someone had told me I was going to end up in a bathroom with a couple of almost naked beauties stuck to me trying to seduce me, I probably would have asked him for his dealer's number because I also want some of that shit.

However, the minutes passed, and nothing happened. Kaguya and Yuzury continued to look at each other defiantly without making any movement.

"Oh, kind Yuzuru. I allow you to go first."

"Objection. Unnecessary. Rather Kaguya is the one who needs help. At least I'll give you the right to go first."

"Kuku. You don't seem to understand. Shidou's eyes will only be on me the moment I put my hands on him. How about you try to understand my concerns to allow yourself to take a moment for yourself?"

Yuzuru squinted at that. "Suspect. You actually have no idea what to do, right?"

Hearing that, Kaguya shuddered. "There's no way that's true! I'm very sensual! W-what are you saying!? I have many adult techniques that you would never imagine!"

"Suspect. Well, then please prove it."

Yes, that was definitely suspicious. I was starting to sweat at the situation in front of me.

"What... ah. O-okay, look carefully!"

After proclaiming that, she turned to look at me, leaned slightly forward and placed her right hand on her head and her left hand on her hip.

That made Yuzuru giggle again. On the other hand, I froze at her. Her posture was a bit old-fashioned, but her natural beauty and moist towel attached to her body more than compensated for it.

That was a really powerful attack. I felt for a few moments that my nose was going to burst into a nosebleed.

"Aah..."

She looked at us both, her face quickly turning very red. "You two, what's up!"

"Mock. Unsurprisingly, Kaguya's charm is different."

Kaguya was outraged by it. "W-what did you say!? Kuh, I'm serious, aren't I? What about you!? Aren't you the one who really had no idea what to do!?"

"Objection, there's no way that's true..."

"So, how about you do it right now and prove it!"

"Understood... as you wish."

She turned to me, and proceeded to throw me a kiss with exaggerated moves.

"Charm. Chuuu~"

Kaguya grabbed her stomach as she burst into laughter. However, I was paralyzed again.

Her clumsy movements and her lack of emotions typical of a kuudere did nothing but highlight her cuteness. That was certainly another devastating attack...

What the hell am I thinking!? That damn eroge really corrupted my mind!

"What's that supposed to be!? Did you really think you could charm him with something like that?"

"Disappointment. I don't want to hear that from Kaguya."

"Haa!? That goes for you too!"

"Objection. With Kaguya's child figure, seduction is not possible in the first place."

"Your figure is not so different from mine either!"

"Objection. Even if the figures are just a little different, the feeling of kneading is different."

"Heh, you don't seem to understand the charm of a slender body."

"Mock. Reality will not change no matter how much you sweeten it."

They started arguing about if the big breasts were better than the little ones or the other way around. Something I wasn't planning on getting into even if I had a clear preference.

Also, seeing that they were on par with me, or even less knowledgeable about these matters of love, made me not know whether to be happy about it or to put my hand over my face. I was just hoping they wouldn't get me into their squabble.

"Shidou, what do you think!? You don't like fat-filled women, do you!"

"Asking. Shidou, you don't like chicken bones like Kaguya, do you?"

I couldn't resist it and ended palming my face. What was I thinking? Of course I was going to be dragged into their dispute.

I looked at them without knowing what to say. Aside from the fact that I've never bothered to discover my sexual preferences, no matter what I answered, I'd be stepping on a landmine.

However, it seemed that I was saved when Kaguya began to look at me from head to toe. After a few seconds, she nodded to herself as she blushed.

"Speaking of figures, I hadn't really noticed before, but Shidou here has a desirable figure. As expected of him who has a contract with death..."

"Admiration. Shidou must have worked hard to keep his body like this..." Despite her flat tone, she too had blushed.

I do not know if the remedy was worse than the disease, since now the two were touching and stroking my muscles in a very erotic way. Keeping my livid at bay this time required an immeasurable effort.

"It's no big deal. I just exercise every day. Besides..." I turned to look at Kaguya. "Why do you keep saying I'm related to death?"

"Kuku. Don't play the fool, Shidou. I could feel it clearly. The presence of death itself stalking us. Also, you have the mark that proves your contract!"

She proclaimed that by pointing to my hair, more specifically, the strand that had recently turned white.

So she misinterpreted that and the murderous intent that I had released, and decided to express it in her chunny slang... And I thought for a moment that she somehow had been able to feel my contract with the World... I worried unnecessarily.

"You're wrong. I have nothing to do with death. I am a relatively normal person."

Well, that I'm a normal person was grasping at straws, but it was true that for the vast majority of people I was an ordinary high school student.

"Suspicion. Leaving aside Kaguya's delusions, Yuzuru also thinks Shidou is someone special. No human had ever been near us before without showing a little fear."

"Let's just say I have my fair share of dealing with supernatural things." That was a huge understatement if I ever said one.

Luckily, though it was more bad luck than good, the conversation didn't go any further. We heard the sound of the sliding door slamming open and someone jumped into the tub with a cute scream.

In itself, the idea of giving explanations to whoever came in about my current situation made me nervous. Now, imagine my surprise when I realized that person was Tohka.

We looked at each other completely paralyzed, until a few seconds later Tohka let out a squeal and covered herself with her hands.

"GYAAAAA! Shi-shidou, wh-wh-wh-what are you doing here? D-don't look!"

"Th-that's my line! This is the men's bathroom, Tohka! I'm sure I taught you that the women's bathroom is usually designed with red!"

"What are you saying!? I did as you explained and went to the red one! Have you deceived me!?"

"That's not so! I'm sure-!"

What I was going to say was cut off when I realized something. My brain didn't take long to connect the dots, and I turned to look at Kaguya and Yuzuru.

"You changed the curtains, didn't you?" My voice came out with resignation rather than anger. This was my fault for not thinking about that possibility.

Kaguya put on a smug smile. "Kuku. Just as I planned. You never noticed."

"Asking. Is there a problem by any chance?"

"There are _many_ problems with this! I can't be here!" I turned to Tohka, who kept looking at me all embarrassed. "I'm sorry Tohka! I didn't plan any of this!"

"So... what are you doing here?"

"Nothing really important. Right now I'm going out-" I stopped in my tracks when I looked at the entrance.

Through the dense steam of water I could distinguish the silhouettes of several girls undressing in the locker room. It was just a matter of seconds before one of them came in and saw me.

At that moment, time slowed around me, and I began to quickly analyze the options I had to get out of this.

Going out the same way I came in was obviously not a good idea.. Going into the locker room right now was the same as walking straight to death.

My sight landed on the high smooth wooden wall that separated the bathrooms of both boys and girls. Jump over it wouldn't be a problem, but, that was something I could only do without witnesses. And, unfortunately for me, my reinforced ears picked up several voices on the other side of the wall.

I couldn't let anyone see me jump a wall made expressly so no one could get around it and stalk people on the other side. Even worse was that they would see me coming from what they called 'paradise', a place unattainable by men and that everyone dreamed of taking just a mere look.

The sounds of footsteps approaching made me shudder. I was running out of time!

I turned quickly to contemplate my last option, the cliff facing the sea.

The fall would not be a problem, but I would have to swim to the nearest shore, and then walk around the hotel with just a towel to cover myself. Either that, or face over twenty teenage girls and their righteous anger.

I didn't even stop to think about it.

I jumped out of the pool, and as soon as I landed on the rock floor, I threw myself into a crazy race to the cliff. Without paying attention to the height of this, I jumped into the void, reinforcing my legs so as not to hurt myself in case there was no depth, and immersed myself in the water in a fully straight position to effectively traverse the surface and not hit the equivalent of a concrete wall.

If I'd been in an Olympics, I likely would have destroyed a lot of the best marks.

* * *

Reine was in her room, manipulating her laptop in an attempt to establish communication with Fraxinus.

But, like all her previous attempts, she failed. It was just as she and Shidou had theorized. Something was actively interfering with communications.

Actually, the only reason she kept trying was because she had nothing else to do while waiting for Shidou to come to her room. It was getting late, and he still didn't show up.

The only thing she could theorize was that he had met the Yamai sisters in his way to here and they were holding him. That was actually good for what she had planned.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard someone knock on the door. When she opened to see who it was, she found Shidou standing there, with barely a towel covering his private parts.

Reine raised an eyebrow before her eyes. "Don't you think it's a little suspicious to go to a woman's room at this hour and almost naked?"

Shidou put on a face that said "really?" at her attempt of pun to lighten the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"Let's leave it at that I had to make a 'tactical retreat'."

Reine sighed and stepped aside. "It looks like it was a disaster. Anyway. Come in, we have a lot to discuss."

"Before that, could you go to the women's locker room and get my clothes and my yukata back?"

A drop of sweat ran down Reine's neck. "Okay. Stay here in the meantime."

Several minutes later, with Shidou already dressed, they both began to discuss the matter of Kaguya and Yuzuru, and also the problem with communications.

"So, these two share the code name 'Berserk', and although they usually appear in the middle of the sea, their fights lead them to populated areas. And their hurricanes not only wreak havoc, but there are already several photos of them by the nets watering the secret of the spirits. That's really problematic."

Well, for him it felt weird to call them 'Berserk'. After the Holy Grail War, his mind automatically associated the name 'Berserker' with that almost immortal black giant who took the full power from the Gate of Babylon to be defeated.

Reine nodded seeing that he quickly captured her explanation. "This is why, despite our current limitations, it could be said that this is our only chance to seal their powers."

Shidou put on a worried face. "But how are we going to do this? Seduce two spirits at once... The last time we tried a multiple date, it didn't go so well."

"That's right. But, this time we have an additional advantage."

"And that would be?"

"Of course, their competition to make you fall in love with one of them." Reine's response made Shidou sweat.

"How is that supposed to help me? I am the one supposed to conquer them, not the other way around."

"Believe it or not, that gives us a huge advantage. At least, that guarantees they'll stay here for a while. But it also poses another problem. Let's say the plan goes well and you successfully kiss one of them. What do you think will happen to the other?"

That made him think. That would mean basically choosing a winner, and that same winner would lose her powers.

That could explode in their faces in many ways, such as the loser were to disagree with the verdict and start causing a ruckus.

"Although I do not doubt their pride and morals... we cannot put the inhabitants of this island and the students at risk on the basis of that alone."

"I understand. If that were to happen, I'll deal with it myself." Shidou's voice didn't show any doubt.

Still, Reine showed concern on her usually drowsy face. "Seeing how you handled Tokisaki Kurumi and Origami in that huge CR-Unit, I cannot completely dismiss that idea. But are you sure there will be no repercussions on your body by using your magecraft?"

Shidou saw her gaze set on the white strand in his hair, and could not help but sigh. He appreciated her concern, but on this particular issue, there really wasn't much to worry about.

"I already told you this is nothing to worry about. Besides, I don't care if my hair gets white if necessary to prevent anyone from getting hurt."

That made her relax a bit, but the slight frown remained. "Let's hope we don't have to resort to that. Anyway, as I told you, I already have a plan for the conquest to proceed without taking that risk."

"And what does that plan consist of?"

"Aah... This afternoon, during the time we spoke, I made a deal with them... On the last day of the school trip, that is, until the morning in two days, you will choose which of the two is the most beautiful."

"In two days... you say."

"For us, that is a very valuable time. A time for dating. However, this time, you will be the conquered one."

"Huh?"

In the face of Shidou's perplexed state, Reine proceeded to expand. "I will give intercoms to Kaguya and Yuzuru, and I will give them a hand to conquer you, Shin. All you have to do is show favorable answers, and act accordingly with the girls I'm instructing. The point of this is to get them to think of me as someone reliable to support them. So I may be able to control the actions of both to a certain extent. For example, I could have both of them kiss you at the same time."

"That... that could really work. It is a somewhat desperate plan, but if I seal their spiritual power at the same time, the probability that one of they will begin to destroy all will be reduced considerably."

Besides, he really felt bad about the prospect of having to choose which one would survive the other. He intended to save them both, and that might be the only method.

"So, when we start with this."

A tiny smile shook Reine's eyes as she saw his resolve. However, she already expected him to accept it without a second thought.

"Tomorrow we will surely go to the beach during the morning. We will start then."

"Fine. I guess I will go to dinner something hot. I don't want to catch a cold from swimming all the way to the hotel."

Hearing that, Reine took a look that made all the alarms in Shidou's head sound.

"Shin. Today you are going to rest here. We can't let you not be in optimal condition tomorrow."

For some reason, even though she was saying it for his sake, he had a bad feeling about it.

Twenty minutes later, when Kaguya and Yuzuru entered the room to give him dinner, he knew why.

That night was the beginning of hell, and Shidou had some nosebleeds.

* * *

**And that's all for now. Heh, if you thought the subject of the King of Fakers secret was settled in the previous chapter, let me say no. Now, thanks to the classic cycle of dreams, and tracing starting to leave his body looking like his adult version, it's only a matter of time until the jig is up. As to the reason why the spirits now began to dream of Shidou's past, I already left the clues in the previous chapter. You simply have to connect the dots. I already said it, didn't I. In this story, 'Phantom' knows its stuff.**

**Well, moving on to another topic, was anyone able to find the hidden Jojo reference? The really good thing about a chunny character like Kaguya is being able to use it to make humorous references. The bad part is having to think of equally chunnys lines. And well, it was really fun to write the scene of King of Fakers dying inside when two girls tried to seduce him for the first time is up.**

**The next chapter, as you can imagine, is going to have a lot of action. With all the jobs and exams I'm having now, updating is going to be hard for me for a while, but I'll see how I manage.**

**And finally, as always, any constructive review is appreciated, as well as the favs and follows encourage me to continue writing. And in case you haven't noticed, I recently published the prologue to the story that continues to "Similar ideals, diferent methods". I'll do another poll to decide my next update.**

**With this I say goodbye for now. until we meet-**

**WAIT!**

**(Sees the date I published my first story, _"King of Fakers: saving them all"_)**

**Well, it's not exactly the same day, but the point is, it's been over a year since I started writing at this place. Who would have thought I'd come this far, when I first just blew my crazy ideas into the word processor after having seen all the animes from the Fate franchise and read most of the great Fate Fics of this site.**

**I don't know if I can be called a veteran in this place at this point. I personally doubt it. I still have to work on my English, but playing FGO and reading the original visual novel of Fate/stay night completely in English helps me.**

**But, if you have come this far and listened to all my ramblings, then I bring you a gift in commemoration of the above mentioned event.**

**Has it ever occurred to you that you come up with a really good idea, but you can't put it in the story because it just doesn't add up? For most authors I've seen here, that's usually introduced as an omake. So yes, here's the first omake of this story.**

**I warn you that it contains a great spoiler of Date a Live original story. Since I read volume fourteen, this idea has been haunting my mind, so there it goes. If you haven't gotten to that part of the story, you'll probably find yourself a little bit lost, but that doesn't stop you from enjoying King of Fakers/Emiya being badass, does it? As to whether this is canonical in this story, for the time being I will leave it to your discretion.**

* * *

**Omake: _A hero passing by_**

Itsuka Shidou and her companions were in a really desperate situation.

Isaac Westcott had locked them all into this fairy-tale world using the power of the demon king 'Belzebuth', and they were all unable to use their powers as they had assumed the role of characters from those tales. For him it was truly frustrating, as only recently he had managed to control a fraction of the power of the spirits within him, and now he was powerless again, having to let the girls protect him again.

Until now they had managed to avoid the villains of the tales they were embodying, and they had managed to gather all in the castle of the country in which they were. Now, all that remained was to find a character or object powerful enough to destroy the world in which they were trapped.

Of course, things could not go so well and without any problem.

All the villains broke into the castle and cornered them. They were the Big Bad Wolf, the witch from Hansel and Gretel, the witch of the sea from The little Mermaid, an Oni from the Isle of Demons, the three sisters of Cinderella, the grandmother of the girl of the matches, and several strange beings of one of Nia's mangas.

A really bizarre combination, but in their current state, they were completely helpless.

Tohka and Nia, the only who embodied characters that could fight the villains, had been quickly overwhelmed by their numbers. In an oversight, Shidou was hit by the wolf and separated from the others.

The helpless spirits were surrounded, and he could do nothing but watch helplessly as the wolf clutched Yoshino with its claws to devour her.

"Damn it! Don't you dare touch her, you damn dog!"

Shidou couldn't reach them no matter how much he stretched his hand. The girls he had promised to save were now going to die in front of him, unable to do anything.

At that moment, Mukuro's words sounded in his mind.

_"If you seal my power, can you protect me? Will the sealed spirits never suffer another attack?"_

That thought tormented Shidou. Was sealing their powers the best choice? If he hadn't, they probably would have been able to fight Westtcot, and they wouldn't be in this situation...

He had agreed to seal the power of the spirits to save them, but was that really so? Perhaps, saving the spirits was simply a method to satisfy his selfishness...

Was what he did really correct?

"If that is the path you had chosen, then you need not hesitate. Follow it to the end without regrets!" An unknown voice that seemed to see through his thoughts suddenly interrupted his spiral of remorse.

"Huh?"

It happened too fast for any of them to react. A red blur passed in front of the wolf, grabbing Yoshino from the wolf's claws.

That blur landed in front of Shidou, and then everyone could see it was a person.

The boy, who held Yoshino in his arms, looked the same age as him. He had auburn hair, with plenty of white streaks, and golden eyes. He was wearing a black, silver sleeveless breastplate, gray pants and steel-tipped boots. His hips and his left arm were covered with a red mantle that waved, and another part of the mantle was tied on his head.

It seems I made it on time." The boy looked at Yoshino, smiled warmly and spoke to her casually. "Are you all right, Yoshino?"

She nodded, her cheeks slightly flushed. For some reason, though hi was a stranger, she felt comfortable around him. It was almost identical to the feeling she had when she was with Shidou.

The boy left Yoshino gently on the ground and looked at Shidou. His face did not change, but he felt that his golden eyes were seeing through his soul.

Just a few seconds later his gaze turned towards the villains surrounding the girls, his gentle expresion turning to a more serious one.

Everyone kept looking at him in complete shock. It was then that the wolf realized that Yoshino was no longer in its claws, and looked at its paw, only to see that it had been cut clean. When that fact recorded in the animal's mind, the cry of pain and surprise was not long in coming.

"AAAARGHHH!"

At that moment, everyone noticed the oriental-looking sword that the boy was holding in his left hand. Its blade was black with a red hexagonal pattern, and even Shidou who did not know much about swords was captivated by its beauty.

"Impossible! Who the hell are you!" The wolf asked the question everyone had in mind. Its eyes were bloodshot, and it was emitting an enormous bloodlust.

"Heh, you could say I'm an ally of these girls." He responded calmly, with a confident smile, and eyes full of sheer determination.

The view for some reason made the spirits feel warm and comfortable. It was as if by being close to the boy, they instinctively knew that there was no more danger. That they would certainly be saved.

"ROOOOAAAR!"

The wolf paid no attention and hurled frantically at the boy. He did not even hesitate seeing the huge beast approaching. Moreover, he ran towards the wolf, his beautiful sword ready for battle.

The wolf's remaining claw darted at a blurred speed toward the red knight's head. No human could even see a movement that fast. He will surely die. Or at least, that was what logic and common sense dictated.

However, to everyone's surprise, with a minimal and precise movement, the Yang sword deflected the claw smoothly, causing the attack to miss its target by several inches, leaving the wolf wide open.

At the same time, the boy jumped into the beast. His empty right hand shone with energy that looked like spiritual energy, and moments later a white sword identical in form to the other sword appeared in his right hand.

The wolf could not even react when the Yin sword cut its neck in a swing faster than its failed attack. The dead body of the wolf collapsed and dispersed into what looked like sheets of paper, as the red knight landed softly behind him and waved his sword to remove the blood from its blade.

The wolf's death was so quick and sudden that it took a few seconds to process it.

"What!? The wolf was killed so easily!"

"You, what winds brought such a superior warrior here?"

The witches screamed in alarm as they trembled back. The mere presence of the man seemed to be enough to make them piss on themselves.

Even Shidou could feel it. He didn't know why, but the man gave him the same feeling as when he was close to a spirit with all her power.

The red knight simply looked at them. There were no words to say. _They were next_.

Without any warning, he ran towards them at a terrifying speed. The floor at his feet even cracked.

The witches cast their spells in his direction desperately, but that didn't even slow down him. The spells seemed to bounce harmlessly against his married swords.

The ogre stood in his way, brandishing his huge stick with spikes. The red knight, without slowing down, threw both blades sideways.

It looked like a crazy maneuver. He literally discarded his weapons, throwing them into nowhere. The Oni laughed at the boy's apparent stupidity and prepared to crush him.

His eyes almost came out of the sockets when, in the middle of the air, the blades drew an arc, redirecting directly towards his neck. The ogre raised his huge weapon to cover himself immediately, hindering his own vision.

The blades ricocheted against the stick, not without breaking the weapon because of the force with which they had been thrown.

By the time the ogre lowered his ruined stick to relocate the red knight, this one was right in front of his face. In his left hand there was now a huge black bow, and his hand was pulling back the bowstring with what looked like a twisted silver arrow emitting a very frightening aura.

The string was released, and the next instant, the upper part of the ogre's body was volatilized,as well as the witches behind him and the wall of the castle. Everything on the path of the 'arrow' had been erased from existence. A power so overwhelming that it gave the same feeling as that of an angel.

Upon landing on the ground, the red knight encountered Nia's manga villains lunging towards him from both sides.

He didn't even move. It wasn't necessary. The previously thrown married swords returned to him, cutting off the heads of the undead on their way to his hands.

"Hey! Even if they were the first villains, it took the protagonist a lot of effort to defeat them!"

Nia's comment fell on deaf ears. Discarding his black bow and wielding the blades again, he set out to quickly dispatch the rest of the ridiculous villains. From the beginning, they never had a chance.

"What's going on?" Shidou couldn't help but be completely confused.

"Shidou, are you okay!? Did you get hurt!?" Tohka's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

With her, Kotori, Kaguya, Yuzuru, Miku, Natsumi and Nia met with him and Yoshino.

"No, I'm fine. More importantly, who is he?"

The situation had taken a completely unexpected turn with the appearance of this stranger who claimed to be their ally. The red knight was really confusing to him.

He was a person he had never seen in his life, but for some reason, he felt like he should knew him. He could say he was human, but he showed a power that would not be out of place in a spirit. And also, he acted casually with them, as if he knew them all his life.

"Well, if he's here, then he must be a character from some fairy tale." Kotori pondered as he looked analytically at the knight.

This one was already killing off the last of the villains. It was the death lord, Nia's manga villain last, who put up more resistance than the rest. Still, with a dying scream, his body scattered on pages after being impaled by many swords of all types that appeared out of nowhere.

"Well, that really is op. It's probably some protagonist of a shounen manga. Do you have any idea, Nia?"

She shook her head at Natsumi's question. "This last month I've caught up with most mangas of that gendre, but in none was this guy. And seeing how heit stands out, I doubt I missed him."

"I guess we'll have to ask him directly."

They all went silent as they watched the red knight walk towards them. His gaze fell on everyone for a few seconds, and then another smile appeared on his lips. This time it was one of relief.

"I see you are all in one piece. That's a relief."

That would be a very suspicious line coming from a stranger, but coming from this boy, it felt like it was the most appropriate thing.

Kotori stepped forward and went straight to the point. "Well, you have our thaks for saving us, sir. Could you tell us who you are?"

"I'm just a random passerby that happened to drop by. You don't have to worry about that, Kotori."

He just gave a vague answer. However, that only increased the feeling that they should know him. Ignoring everyone's expressions of bewilderment, he continued.

"There is no time to waste with introductions. I'm aware of your situation, so you don't have to explain it to me either."

That was yet another surprise to the long list.

"Does that mean you have a method to get us out of here?"

"Yes. This world was created by the power of an angel, so with an equal or more powerful weapon I can open a breach that will allow you to escape. However, Westcott may be waiting for you as soon as you leave."

"What!" Kotori's eyebrows reached her bangs. How come she hadn't thought of that possibility?

"I'd go take care of him myself, but that wouldn't be right. I don't belong to your timeline, so helping you here is already forcing things enough."

The boy's confused words were practically ignored by them when Nia raised her voice. "

"I had predicted this would happen!"

"What is it now, Nia? You don't have to be so noisy."

"Hehehe. I always wanted to say that line. How was it? Did I sound like a reliable woman?"

"Are you joking?" Kotori frowned annoyingly and impatiently, causing Nia to scratch her neck timidly.

"I've made the necessary preparations, so, Mr. Hero, you don't need to worry. Can you get us out of here right away?"

"Hey, what are you talking about, Nia? It'll all be in vain if we go out and meet Westcott again."

There's nothing to worry about. Beelzebuth and Rasiel are the same existence, so I too can take responsibility for the link between the two worlds."

"And that means..."

"That means unless that guy has actively sought us out, we won't meet him."

All the spirits cheered happily to Nia as she rejoiced. But Shidou noticed the boy's gaze as he listened to their conversation. It seemed as if he felt... nostalgia?

"Then it is time for you to leave this world." As he said that, another sword appeared in his hands.

It was a European sword of above average length, without many ornaments, with a golden hilt and its guard slightly curved upwards. The blade radiated great power and authority, similar to Sandalphon, but at the same time different. In fact, it felt like the only right place for that sword was in that boy's hands.

The blade was wrapped in golden light, and with a swing, the light that burns everything it touches was fired forward. After several meters, the space seemed to crack, and with a sound of broken glass, a multicoloured crack opened in front of them.

With a smile of satisfaction, the nameless knight stabbed the blade on the ground and laid his hands on the pomel.

"The path is already open. I guess it's my turn to say goodbye."

One by one, the spirits were joyfully bidding farewell to the kind stranger who saved them. Only Shidou was left, when he stopped halfway and turned to look at him.

"Again. Thank you very much for saving us. You really got us out of a good one."

He shook his head. "You don't have to thank me. I just did what I had to do."

The two of them were silent. Shidou, seeing the red knight's confidence and determination, wanted to talk about his current problem, but could not find the words. The boy felt close, but at the same time distant.

The boy let out a sigh, which took Shidou by surprise. "I see that Mukuro's words really staggered your resolve..."

Pausing briefly, his expression hardened and his posture was reaffirmed. "Listen, Itsuka Shidou. What Mukuro said is correct. By sealing the power of the spirits, you are leaving them helpless. But, just because she is correct, that doesn't mean she is right."

"Huh?" That turn in his speech surprised Shidou.

"Remember the real reason you saved them in the first place. You did it so there'd be no more sadness on their faces, to protect their smiles, didn't you? That's the path you chose, so follow it to the end, no matter what anyone else says. Even if it is a selfish and hypocritical ideal, follow it as long as you think it is worth fighting for."

Shidou was speechless. Those words really touched him. How did he again lose sight of his true purpose? This mysterious boy was absolutely right.

But there was still another problem...

"As for Mukuro, you should know the answer already, but I'll remind you anyway. Itsuka Shidou, like me, you are not a fighter, but an owner. There is only one thing you can do. Don't forget it. What you have to imagine is that you are the strongest yourself. You do not need external enemies. For you, the only one you have to fight is none other than your own image."

Again with the enigmatic words. But this time, Shidou understood perfectly. After all, that was a really accurate description of him, the boy who had the power of the spirits inside him.

At that moment, he knew what to do.

"You are running out of time. Our paths are separating here, and it is time for each of us to return to our place. There are people waiting for us, and there is a girl who needs you to save her."

Shidou nodded, with his determination completely renewed, and headed toward the breach.

"Again, thank you very much. Until the next time, _Shidou_."

The knight was not surprised that his identity had been discovered. In fact, he was not hiding it. He just didn't say it directly, and it wasn't very difficult to connect all the clues he'd been leaving.

"So that would be Itsuka Shidou if I hadn't shown up to mess everything up, huh? Well, it's time for take me leave too. Although I would have liked to have known his Mana without the influence of goldie."


	9. Chapter 8: DEM's attack

**We see each other again, people! It's not the first time I say this, but no, I'm not dead. Although, the tests almost acieved it. This chapter ended up quite long, but believe me, there is action to give and sell. And no, this time there is no omake. Although, I'm thinking of making one where the characters of the original story meet this story's Mana.**

**Moving on now to some questions that were in the reviews, regarding the rematch between King of Fakers and King of Heroes, that is spoiler... Nah, who am I kidding? Of course they will fight again. The context of the fight is what I will leave to your imagination. And as for this 'Shidou' dressing up as a girl... that's a complicated subject. Personally, I didn't mind seeing 'Shiori'. In fact, I think it's a good comic element, and I have some future plans for Shiori. Although, I can understand why some people don't like the idea.**

**But anyway, I'll do a poll to see who wouldn't like to see this Shidou cross-dressing and who would. During this time since my last update, I have thought of an alternative route to avoid it, so I wouldn't mind writing either one.**

**Without much more to say, let the chapter begin.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, the Fate franchise or Date a Live.**

* * *

"Admiration... Shidou, you have... very good... skills... Aah..."

"Aah... It is an unbelievable technique... those are the fingers of a god..."

Kaguya and Yuzuru commented amid tremors and moans that made the scene even more erotic.

Anyone would think I was doing something weird to them, but the reality was I was just applying sunscreen to their backs. Still, the atmosphere made it hard for me to think straight.

Again, I found myself wondering, how did I end up in this situation?

Summing up what happened last night after the Yamai sisters came to give me dinner, things didn't go very well. At least for me.

They started discussing as usual, and for some reason that escapes my understanding, Yuzuru decided to take off her yukata and start rubbing her body against mine to give me warmth. According to her, that was the definitive technique her 'master' had taught her.

To make matters worse, Kaguya took that as a challenge, and proceeded to do the same.

The memories of what happened after that are very blurred. The last thing I remember was a lot of blood coming out of my nose and I lost consciousness. In fact, I'm inclined to think that was some kind of weird dream induced by the bathroom fiasco.

The next morning I woke up quite late, almost at the time of going to the beach. I've never fallen asleep that long, but seeing how refreshed I felt, my body really needed those extra hours of sleep.

The thing is, Reine, in view of the incident in the bathroom, brought Kaguya, Yuzuru and me to a private beach so no one would interrupt us.

Once there, after we put on our swimsuits, the first instruction Reine gave them was to ask me to spread sunscreen on them.

And here I am now, kneeling between the two beauties with their backs exposed. I've never done anything like this before, but I'm sure a person wouldn't normally react like that to getting creamed.

"Are you okay?" I couldn't help but ask when I finished. They were both gasping like they had just run a marathon and had a glazed look.

It took a few moments for them to fully recover, and apparently Reine was already giving them new instructions.

"Fuuu, next thing would be... smashing a watermelon? Blindfold Shidou?"

"Confirmation... After making him spin and get dizzy, wait for instructions?"

They didn't disguise it much, but that also worked in my favor. At least I could get ready for whatever they throw at my.

However, something really unexpected, at least for Reine and me, happened.

"Shidou!"

I turned to see who was shouting my name, and I found Tohka coming out of the water and walking towards us. I could also see Origami right behind her. They were both wearing the bikinis I chose for them the day before the incident at the amusement park.

There goes the private and no outside interference place for the date.

My eyebrow rose from reflection. "What are you doing, you two here?"

"That's what I say. I have been looking for you, Shidou!" Tohka responded by making a very cute pout.

"Shidou, why are you with the Yamia sisters?" On the other hand, Origami asked with distrust.

A few weeks ago she came and asked me if I was human, and naturally, I answered yes. Since then, she had returned to acting normally around me, or at least as she always did.

That's why I thought it was odd she being on guard now. From what I understand, the wizards of this world are not sensitive to magic without the help of a CR-Unit, so for her, Kaguya and Yuzuru should be a pair of weird girls.

Anyway, something was telling me that answering "I'm on a date with the two of them" wasn't the best idea.

"About that... well, I kinda ended up being dragged here."

That was actually a pretty accurate description of what had happened. After leaving the hotel still quite drowsy, Reine pushed me into the back seat of a car and brought me here.

Come to think of it, if we change the car for a van, it looked like I'd been kidnapped.

"Ooh? Isn't that Tohka. Kuku... Coming to your owner's side, what a lovely familiar. I praise you."

"Marvel. Master Origami, why are you here?"

Kaguya and Yuzuru approached us. Leaving aside the strange way in which they referred to them, from what I heard, Kaguya had been assigned to Tohka's room, and Yuzuru to Origami's.

"Oooh, Kaguya is here too. What were you doing?"

"Kuku... Right now, we were going to crush something with a shell dyed dark and dark green until its crimson blood and organs burst out."

"What is that? It sounds terrifying."

"Translation. We were about to play smashing a watermelon."

The conversation that had taken a strange turn was interrupted by a sleepy voice.

"Wait a minute..."

Reine approached us, dressed in a gray bikini and jacket covering her, and covering her eyes from the sun with one hand. Her pale skin glowed, making her look even sicker than normal.

I assumed that, with the original plan compromised, she came to set up some kind of backup plan. Kaguya and Yuzuru looked at her strangely and touched the intercoms in their ears.

"Sorry, I forgot to bring the watermelon... Instead, since the number of people increased, there is a court built there. How about we play beach volleyball?" As she said that, she pointed her finger at a court near us.

Initially, Kaguya and Yuzuru did not like the idea very much, but in the end they understood the reason for the change in objective.

The two of them and Tohka ran to the court, and Origami, after hesitating for a few moments, followed them.

Having been left alone with Reine, I turned to ask her. "So, what's the plan now that Tohka and Origami have joined us?"

"Aah... you're going to fight together on the same team. It's a plan for you to improuve your relationship with them."

Well, this time I could see her point. There's nothing better than a conflict to unite people. But, that in turn posed another problem.

"And how are you going to get Kaguya and Yuzuru on the same team without they making a fuss?"

"That..." She put her hand inside her jacket pocket, grabbed something, and held it out for me. "I'll leave it at your discretion."

I inspected what she had given me, and I realized it was six wooden chopsticks, all of the same length and identical to each other. It didn't take me long to figure out what she wanted me to do, and I couldn't help but praise her in my mind. It was a simple plan, and since they didn't know much about magecraft, they wouldn't notice.

When the two of us arrived on the court, Reine raised her voice to attract the attention of the four.

"Now, let's decide the teams. Three people per team. Please take one chopstik from Shidou's hand."

Like Reine said, the five girls took a stick. I made sure to quietly apply alteration to the sticks chosen by Kaguya and Uzuru to make them longer, and when there was only one left for me I did the same.

"Well then, those with a short stick go on one team and those with the long stick on the other."

Despite the seemingly random method, the girls were not very happy with the teams.

However, after Reine said, "I will tell the winning team a secret from Shidou," all four seemed very motivated about the game.

I let out a heavy sigh. It's not like I have many secrets, leaving aside of course my previous life and the counter force stuff. At least I was hoping she wouldn't give them that poem that contained my Unlimited Blade Works' aria.

"Okay! Let's do this!" With a cheerful shout, Tohka threw the ball up and jumped to perform the service from across court.

Her hand hit the ball, and my eyes opened to see what looked like a tank projectile coming straight at me, making a hole in the net on its way. I ducked out of reflex, and the ball crashed in the sand a few feet behind me.

"Reine, how many points was that!" Tohka enthusiaticaly asked Reine as if nothing weird had just happened.

"0 points... The ball has to pass over the net, Tohka..."

"Aw... no technical skill points were added, uh..."

She was probably confusing this sport with another. Anyway, I made a mental note of teaching Tohka to contain her strength better when this was over. If she was doing that in PE, I'm surprised she hasn't sent anyone to the hospital yet.

I heard Kaguya laughing next to me. "Kuku... Not bad. Looks like I'm going to have to get serious too..."

That alarmed me. Tohka, a spirit with her power sealed was one thing, but I couldn't let them start destroying the court. Not with Origami and Reine so close.

"You don't have to take this very seriously. This is just a friendly game."

"Fuun. Boring. Anyway, it's our turn to serve, right?"

That said, Kaguya dug up the ball and proceeded to perform a much more normal service, although that did not prevent it from being really elegant.

Origami received the ball safely, passing it to Reine. She threw it forward gently, leaving it ready for Tohka to finish with a smash in front of the net.

Tohka hit the ball with a battle cry, and again, the ball came at me at enormous speed. Yes, I definitely had to talk to Tohka about this. If I were someone else, receiving that ball would mean a few broken bones.

I put my hands in front of my face and absorbed the full force of the impact, letting the ball gently bounce behind me.

"Now that Shidou's been hit, he'll join our team, won't he?" On the other side, Tohka asked a weird question, although that explained why she was aiming directly at me.

"That's another kind of sport, Tohka..."

I turned around to see how Kaguya and Yuzuru did. With the ball pumped, they shouldn't have any problems.

Or at least, that's what I thought.

The ball was going to fall just between the two, and without any coordination between them, both of them launched at the same time to make the pass forward. As a result, their heads collided, and the ball landed on the ground, adding one point in favor of Reine's team.

"Uwa! What are you doing, Yuzuru?"

"Objection. That's my line. Please don't be a bother."

The normal atmosphere between them now went down the drain and they started to argue again.

I couldn't help pinching the bridge of my nose. I should have predicted this, and passed the ball directly to one of the two. That would have saved me a lot of trouble.

The way things were, I'll have to step in. "You two, calm down. Arguing like this isn't going to get us anywhere. Besides, it was my mistake for making the ball fall right between the two."

With that at least I managed to get them to stop and pay attention to me.

"That's not true. Shidou received the ball magnificently. It was Yuzuru's fault that such a feat was wasted."

"Denial. Although Yuzuru agrees that Shidou did really well, it was Kaguya's fault that his efforts were in vain."

And there they go again. I really didn't mind winning this game, but I couldn't let the two of them get frustrated and make a fuss. Besides, for some reason, watching them fight all the time just felt wrong.

"Look, if you want to win this game and get Reine's reward, we can't have internal disputes. Even if it's just for this occasion, we must cooperate to defeat a common enemy."

I remained silent while the two made thoughtful faces. Finally, the two looked at each other with determined looks.

"Hey, Yuzuru... You wanna do it?"

"Agree. Let's do it."

That was already much better. The next service was from Origami, who to my relief did it more discreetly than Tohka.

"Yuzuru!"

"Answer. I know."

The Yami sisters this time coordinated splendidly with each other. Yuzuru received the ball safely and passed it on to Kaguya, who threw it across the court with a powerful hit.

The other team managed to receive the ball as they did in the previous exchange, and again, it was Tohka who set out to finish.

The palm of her hand hit the ball very hard, and for the third time, her attack came at me at bullet speeds. No, this time, the ball was going even faster.

This made me stop and wonder, why was she trying so hard? Did she want so much to know the 'secret' that Reine would tell the winner about me? No, that can't be.

Living all these months together, I doubt Reine can tell her anything she doesn't already know. Then I noticed her face. There was some seriousness, but the most remarkable thing was the smile she was putting on. More than competitiveness, she was just having a great time.

I guess I thought too much about it. Although for me the vacation trip ended the moment Kaguya and Yuzuru appeared, the same does not apply to her. That's how it should be from the beginning. She doesn't have to worry about all these complicated stuff.

"Shidou, recieve it!"

The cry of Kaguya brought me back to reality. Under normal conditions, I would simply do what any normal person would do, that is, step aside and avoid the death ball. But, seeing as how everyone was taking this so seriously, I guess I'll have to live up to their expectations.

Taking a step back to remove my face from the ball's trajectory, I stretched my arms forward into the classic volleyball receiving position. The ball hit my hands violently, and the sheer force of the crash caused my feet to sink into the sand.

However, with some effort, I bounced the ball up.

"Praise. Well done." Yuzuru remarked with her usual flat tone as she bent her legs and put her hands palms up. "Preparation. Kaguya!"

"All right!"

Kaguya ran towards Yuzuru, and using her hands as a springboard, jumped toward the pumped ball. That won a few surprise voices in the other side of the court.

"Haaaaaaah!"

With a shout of effort, Kaguya struck the ball fiercely, and it descended to the opposite field like an arrow. Without Tohka and Origami being able to react, the ball crashed into the ground, splashing sand everywhere.

"Good! Score drawn! Yahooo!"

Upon landing on the ground, Kaguya turned to Yuzuru with a dazzling smile and clasped hands with her.

"Excited. Yahoo." Yuzuru also put on a smile.

"Yay! That was perfect, Yuzuru. I flew!"

"Positive. That was a great attack. As expected from Kaguya."

"No, no, that was thanks Shidou and Yuzuru..."

At that time, Kaguya suddenly stopped speaking. From the look of it, she seemed to have realized that they were acting the opposite of how they always did.

The two shook their shoulders and began to look at each other with what seemed disgusting.

"Fuun... Don't get cocky, lowlife. Consider it an honor to be stepped on by my foot."

For a moment, my eyebrow trembled. That line was so similar to Gilgamesh's that for a moment my instincts screamed at me to project a large part of the swords of the Unlimited Blade Works and throw them at her. Of course, without the goldie in my sight, it didn't take much to suppress the impulse.

"Unpleasant. The smell has stuck to my hands. It stinks. It smells like scrambled dry mackerel, natto and Surströmming."

Still, I couldn't help but frown at the sight of them. That just now... The two of them being so close and happy, as if they were two sisters who got along so well... it felt really real and genuine.

In fact, it felt even more real than the usual hostility between the two. And this was not a subjective opinion. It really seemed like that slip-up they had was their real relationship, and their constant conflict was an act.

There's something fishy here. And that only complicated things now that Reine didn't have the equipment to analyze their emotional states.

* * *

The intense volleyball match continued for about an hour. The thing was really close, and more than once I had to imitate Saber a little and start ordering the Yamai not to start arguing.

In the end my team won by a fairly close result of two points difference, necessary to decide the match. Things got a lot longer because whenever one of the two teams made a difference, the other team managed to tie again in the next exchange.

As for the real purpose of the match, to bond with Kaguya and Yuzuru, I would not know very well what to say. They don't treat me like a stranger they barely knew, but from the beginning they were always attached to me, so I can't see much difference.

I went to the bathroom to relieve myself while Reine told the 'secret' to Kaguya and Yuzuru, and prepared for the next activity.

The image of the Yamai sisters acting in a friendly way between themselves still present in my mind. It would be ideal to get them to stop that absurd conflict and all the hostility.

While I was washing my hands, I decided to see if I could ask Reine about her opinion.

"Hey, Reine, do you read me?"

A few seconds later I could hear her voice through the communication device. _"Yes, Shin... What is it?"_

"What do you think about Kaguya and Yuzuru's level of affection? Do you think we've done any abance?"

She hummed for a few moments. "Honestly, I still can't say anything... What remains is to stir up the competition as much as possible, but..."

She stopped talking at the time. The reason for that was the huge magical signature that was waiting for me outside the toilet.

As I walked through the door, I found Kaguya there, arms folded and foot waved impatiently.

"You really took your time, Shidou. For a moment I thought Leviathan had caught you."

What does a Biblical monster have to do with taking my time with my needs?

"Kaguya, this is the men's toilet. If you're really in a hurry, you should have gone into the women's."

Her cheeks got a little colored, and for a moment she made a pretty cute pout before adopting a dignified bearing.

"I-I didn't come here to expel corruption from my body! I came to find you. There is a message I must deliver to you."

I raised an eyebrow to that. "And what's that message about?"

"Right now, Yuzuru and I are having a fierce battle for you, aren't we? So, it's about the conclusion tomorrow."

"Yeah..." This looked like she wanted to bribe me somehow, but her tone was so serious that I felt something was off.

"Shidou... Tomorrow... choose Yuzuru."

I took a few moments to verify that what I had just heard was correct. Then, I looked for any signs that she was trying to trick me... but she wasn't.

What she had just said was totally honest. There was no doubt about it.

Seeing my lack of response, she kept talking. "There's nothing to worry about, is there? That's because Yuzuru is super cute. Even though she's a little cold, she's obedient, she's got big breasts, and she's like a super moe character made up from boys' illusions? Also, if you choose her, she will probably give you lots of special services, right? There's no reason not to choose her. That's why..."

Those words could convince most men, but not someone like me. To me, that sounded like a bunch of excuses, hiding a much deeper reason.

"What about you? If I choose her, you'll disappear, right?"

"Uh, yes..."

"Then why are you asking me that?"_ Why are you asking me to kill you?_

"Well... even I don't want to disappear. But, more than that... I want Yuzuru to live. I want her to see even more, and go out and have fun in this world."

Looks like my theory hit the nail on the head. Her words contained so much affection... she really cared about her sister.

"In fact, everything would have been solved if you hadn't interrupted at the time. I was going to perform a flashy clash and fall. It was supposed to end there."

"So why did you put on this whole contest to make me fall in love?"

"Aah, that? Well, it's obvious that Yuzuru is prettier. If it is this duel, there is no doubt that Yuzuru would win, right?"

"Do you really want that?"

My question made her remain silent, before hardening her expression and facing me with a cold look.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Shidou. All you have to do tomorrow is say 'Yuzuru is more cute and lovelier, Yuzuru-tan hahahaha'. Otherwise, I'm gonna blow up this island along with all your friends."

I remained silent watching her. She was really serious about this, huh? If those words had been in another context, the person who said them would be impaled with so many swords that they would look like a porcupine.

"Kuku... Well then, I'll go back, human. The exchange this time was a blood contrqct. Know that your body will be burned to the bone by the Flame of Purgatory if you do not keep it!"

After saying that casually, she left the place and went back to where Reine and the others were.

I repressed as I could my desire to answer her and not let the conversation end there. More than not to upset her, the reason was the other huge magic signature that came up behind me.

I turned to look at the other orange-haired girl who showed up surrounding the toilet building. Her face remained just as stoic as always even though I was already looking in her direction before I could even see her. The only sign of surprise was that she stopped for a few moments before start again walking towards me.

"You also came to talk, Yuzuru?"

"Confirmation. That's right. By the way, what were you and Kaguya talking about?"

"Err..." Although I was expecting that question, I hadn't had time to think up an answer.

However, my concern was unfounded as it was Yuzuru herself who changed the subject.

"Take back. No, it's fine. Yuzuru can guess more or less. Probably... about tomorrow's election, she asked you to choose her, didn't she?"

That couldn't be further from truth. However, something told me that answering with a no would be the same as lighting a lighter in a room full of butane gas.

"Yes, something like that..."

"Question. Even though Yuzuru doesn't care, did Kaguya do something during that time?"

"Eh? What do you mean by that?"

"Example. Yuzuru is asking if for example she hugged you, Shidou, and ran her tongue around your neck, or put your face on her chest, or put her hand in your bathing suit and touched your crotch."

"Huh!? No! She didn't do anything like that!"

My answer seemed to make her disappointed. "Disappointment. Kaguya, that's not good. You're too naive. Kaguya, if you were to seduce properly, you would make even Shidou come down to the level of a monkey in mating season."

Should I consider that an insult? Not that I care about those things. The problem is that, reading between the lines, I can already say that I don't like where this is going.

"Request. Yuzuru has a request for Shidou."

"Request?"

"Consent. That's right."

A drop of sweat came down my neck. I knew what she was going to ask of me, and that was really problematic.

"Request. Shidou, in this duel, please be sure to choose Kaguya. Please, tomorrow, you must choose Kaguya. Promise me."

For the second time on the same day, someone asked me to kill them.

"Why?" Even though I already knew the answer, I asked anyway.

"Explanation. Kaguya is far superior to Yuzuru. There's nothing to worry about. Even Shidou should be aware of Kaguya's beauty. Although she acts all tough, she is sweet, and has a fragile body that looks like it will break when you touch it and the feeling of embracing her can only be described as heaven. Probably, if you choose her, Shidou, Kaguya would do many things for you. By all means, choose Kaguya..."

"And what about you? If I choose her, you will disappear." I asked the same question again to check her resolution.

"Answer. Kaguya is the most suitable spirit to be the true Yamai. Even you have noticed, haven't you? Kaguya is really charming. There is no reason not to choose her."

"Then what obout to all your competitiveness?"

"Explanation. Even if Kaguya looks like that, she is a very shy girl. Unless Kaguya is incited, she will not show you that kind of charm."

I could only remain silent. These two really are like two mirrors. Taking my lack of response, she approached my ear and whispered to me.

"Reminder. Tomorrow, please say you will choose Kaguya, Shidou. Otherwise, misfortune will fall upon your friends."

After leaving her threat, she returned to the others. If you saw me right now, you'd see a frown on my face, and you might be scared.

Breathing deeply to calm my emotions, I gave a couple of finger touches to the intercom in my ear.

"Did you hear that, Reine?"

_"Yes... The situation has just become very complicated. With the two so focused on letting the other one win, I doubt they'll react even if you kiss them..."_

"It seems that in the end I will have to do something by myself."

Even without listen, I could say that Reine did not like it. She could surely see that I was going to do something stupid.

With a tired sigh, I set out to return with everyone. Even if the date no longer had any meaning, I could at least try to make Origami and Tohka have fun. Or maybe even Reine. She's always working her ass off, and to this day, she and Origami are the only two people close to me that I haven't seen smile.

* * *

"Ha... ha... ha..."

Ellen had finally managed to break out of those annoying students who had been preventing her from completing her mission for the past two days.

It was already the second night of the trip. Tomorrow, the students would return to Tenguu Island, and she had not yet made any progress besides confirming that the girl named Yatogami Tohka was the spirit 'Princess'.

But that's over now! That trio of female students would no longer bother her, and now the opportunity fell to her lap.

The spirit 'Princess' was now heading for the forest near the hotel, accompanied by her other target, Itsuka Shidou. Not only that, but the two new students she managed to identify as the 'Berserk' spirits seemed to be following them.

It was the perfect situation.

Still, she had to proceed with caution. Not just because of the unusual number of three spirits gathered in one place. After having been close to Itsuka Shidou, she could see that the boy was not even remotely normal.

He was too sharp. Whenever their eyes met, he seemed to look through her. Although he hid it very well, he was always alert near her. Her intuition, for some reason, told her that he was even more dangerous than the spirits.

And to confuse her even more, every time 'Arbatel', DEM industries' aircraft that was supporting her in this mission, carried out a scan of the boy, the results were inconsistent and even crazy. Sometimes he was detected as a normal human, and sometimes he seemed to have spiritual power in his body.

However, she had no time to think about that anomaly. "'Arbatel, are you seeing this? The targets are entering the forest. It's time to get going. Send about 50 'Bandersnatch' to the forest and make them wait hidden until order."

_"Understood. But don't you think such an amount will attract a lot of attention, 'Adeptus 1'?"_ The voice of the airship's remote operator responded through her intercom.

"Although dealing with a single spirit is not a problem, if I have to fight several at a time it can cause me some trouble. I will need a distraction in that case. Also, I want another 'Bandersnatch' here at the hotel entrance. I don't want any witnesses, not even Staff Sergeant Tobiichi, interfering."

_"Understood. The requested units are already deploying and on their way-" _What the tele-operator was saying was interrupted suddenly.

"Is something wrong, 'Arbatel'?"

_"It appears our sensors detected an unidentified advanced aircraft about 500 meters below our position."_

"That's..."

llen for a few moments on the possible identity behind that aircraft. It was just a rumor, but Ike had insisted on the possibility that such an organization existed.

Ratatoskr, an organization dedicated to solving the problem of spirits with peaceful methods. If there was an organization with the technology to produce an aircraft similar to 'Arbatel', it was that.

Taking up her authoritarian tone, she gave the order as she began to move. "Take them down."

* * *

Shidou was walking through the woods right now, chatting with Tohka beside him and both dressed in yukatas.

Dinner had been lonely and bleak. He had not been in a very good mood after hearing Kaguya and Yuzuru's requests, and he did not want to ruin the dinner of the other students around him.

His mind was spinning over the subject of the Yamai sisters. If he said that what they wanted to do was wrong, he would be being very hypocritical.

But, his life and ideals were always full of hypocrisy. He simply could not accept such an end.

Shortly thereafter, on his way to his room, he met Tohka, who asked him to accompany her on a night walk outside the hotel. He accepted without hesitation. It was a very good opportunity to relax.

The two ended up talking about what Tohka was doing the night before.

"So, you had a pillow fight with your roommates?"

"Umu. At first it was a duel with Origami to see who was bringing dinner to Shidou, but it got heated halfway and we ended up doing it until we got tired and fell asleep."

"I see..."

It was good that they didn't get into Reine's room. Although he did not remember very well what happened, he could say that the scene they would had encountered would had been quite shocking.

At that moment, Tohka stepped forward and stood in front of him to look into his eyes.

"So... Shidou, what happened?"

That took him by surprise. "What do you mean by that?"

"Although I'm not sure, I can say that something happened. You have been gloomy since this afternoon, much like just before the incident with Kurumi."

Shidou sighed. Of course she'd realize after living together all these months.

He found himself pondering whether to tell Tohka about the situation, but in the end he decided to do it. She had always been by his side in recent incidents, so she deserved to know.

So he briefly told her about the Yamai sisters. About their identity as spirits, and the subject of the charming contest, which for some reason made her frown.

He deliberately omitted to mention the whole plan he and Reine had, and anything concerning "sealing their powers".

The reason was not because he wanted to hide it from Tohka, but from the two people who were following them closely.

He had to admit that they were pretty well hidden this time. A normal person wouldn't have noticed.

To their bad luck, they were following someone who 'normal' was not a word that could define him in any way. As well as they hid, if they didn't hide their huge magical firm, they stood out like a sore thumb.

"However, that is not the real problem of this whole mess..."

He paused in his speech and turned to look directly in the direction that Kaguya and Yuzuru were in.

"This concerns you two as well, so this would be a good moment for you to join the conversation."

Two bushes in front of him, separated by a few meters, trembled for a few moments. Seconds later, the two orange-haired spirits came out of them, their cheeks a little red.

At that moment, the two realized the presence of the other.

"Yuzuru!? What are you doing here?"

"Surprise. Yuzuru asks you the same thing, Kaguya. Were you spying on Shidou?"

"N-no at all! I was just checking in on my familiar! And what about you!?"

"Explanation. Yuzuru was simply curious about where Shidou and Tohka were going."

"Now is not the time to argue." Shidou interrupted their conversation, causing the two of them to turn to look at him in surprise.

It was the first time they saw him put on such a serious expression.

"We need to talk about my choice."

At that instant, they both understood. This was indeed a serious matter. Both strained slightly at the expectation, and the atmosphere became heavy.

"Well? What do you want to talk about, Shidou?"

"Concession. What do you want to say to us?"

Shidou was silent, mentally preparing for what he was about to do. He was planning on doing it tomorrow, but this was a chance to end this as soon as possible.

"Before I choose either one, I want to check one thing..."

Another pause. The two sisters were looking at him expectantly right now, and if they were sitting, they'd be on the edge of the seat.

Shidou did not falter under pressure, and pointed at Kaguya with his finger. "Kaguya, you told me you wanted me to choose Yuzuru, right?"

They both practically yelped at that, but Shidou gestured to Yuzuru before they said anything.

"And you, Yuzuru, told me to choose Kaguya, right?"

The bomb had been released. Now he needed to see their reaction. That was the only thing Shidou had come up with to solve this problem. Face it head-on.

After a few seconds, they both came out of the initial shock and started glaring holes at each other. Their bodies trembled with pure, barely repressed anger, and their spiritual power was beginning to overflow in the form of strong winds.

Tohka next to him gave him a worried look, but he reassured her by saying "trust me".

"Yuzuru said that...?"

"Confusion. That's what Kaguya said?"

""DON'T PLAY WITH ME!""

The two roared and prepared to materialize their astral dress and throw themselves to the neck of their counterpart. It did not look very good.

"STOP THERE!"

However, hearing that voice, they both stopped in their tracks. It was full of authority, and it was accompanied by enormous pressure that made their hair stand on end.

It was the same as the day before when they met Shidou.

The two turned to look, their faces with frowns and eyes narrowed.

"Stay out of this, Shidou! You have nothing to do with this anymore-!"

"Oh, but I have a lot to do with this." Shidou interrupted her again, golden eyes piercing the blue eyes. "You made me promise that I would be the judge of this dispute, and I intend to keep that promise. Besides, my decision has not changed after you made your requests to me. In fact, it has not changed since I learned of your situation."

That made them both surprised. According to what Reine had told them, Shidou was really indecisive on these issues.

"Expectation. So..."

"Yes. Right now, I'm going to say who will live, and I'm going to put an end to this dispute."

They both looked at him even more intently, waiting for him to choose the other. However, his response left them totally surprised.

"Of course, I choose you both, Kaguya, Yuzuru. I will not let either of you die in front of me, and the other one remains alone and distressed."

After blinking for a few seconds, they both burst into anger over.

"What nonsense are you saying!? Are you playing with us?"

"Contempt. That answer is at the level of a primary school child. A boy without decision is a shame."

Even though they were saying that, they deep down knew it. The sheer determination in his eyes, and the enormous conviction behind his words, made them believe that perhaps the nonsense he was proposing was possible.

"Do you really want to accept such a sad and hollow ending? Even if you sacrifice and save the other, it won't do any good. The winner will be alone, full of regrets, and will never be happy. Is that what you really want?"

Those words really hit close to home. They had gotten their resolution thinking the other wanted to save herself. But, now that they knew their counterpart thought the same, everything changed. Still...

"Even if you say that, something like that is impossible. One of us have to disappear."

"Agree. Shidou is a human. There is no way you can accomplish such a thing."

Shidou clenched his fist in front of him. "Things are only impossible if you don't try. If I tell you that there's a method for you two to live peacefuly, would you accept?"

The forest was filled with silence again. Again, his conviction-filled words made part of them want to believe what Shidou was saying. Although they knew it was impossible, they agreed that something like that would be so beautiful.

However, before they could respond, Shidou spoke.

"But, it seems you're going to have to wait to give me your answer." His gaze, with a deep frown, was focused on a tree positioned near them. "We have another person who wants to join the conversation, don't we?"

The three girls looked in the same direction to see a woman come out from behind the tree. She was of Nordic origin, with silver hair, black eyes, and wore a suit.

"I guess I must praise you, Itsuka Shidou. Not only are you good at speeches, but you also have a very good perception of your surroundings."

Yes, she was the photographer who had sent the travel agency, but now she was emitting a rather ominous aura.

"Heh, you're finally showing your true colors, Ellen Mira Mathers."

"Hoh? So you also did your homework and did research on me, huh?" She inflated her chest with pride and proceeded to make her introduction. "Indeed, I am Ellen Mira Mathers, secretary of the CEO of Deus Ex Machina Industries, and also 'Adeptus 1', the world's strongest wizard."

She expected to see the boy step back, be afraid, or at least be nervous. What she didn't expect was for all his seriousness to disappear and stare at her with a deadpan look.

"You really discover this secret spy, Shidou? That's amazing!" Tohka praised him enthusiastically.

"No. She actually just told me everything herself without me having to lift a finger."

After a few seconds of silence, Ellen's cheeks turned bright red with shame, and Kaguya and Yuzuru burst into laughter.

"As expected of him who has a contract with death. You fell directly into his trap!"

"Mock. The photographer is really naive."

Ellen took a few moments to mend herself and coughed excessively. "You managed to trick me, Itsuka Shido."

"No, I just said a cliché line and you made your own conclusions. I actually didn't expect it to work."

His words struck Ellen, who by a few moments grabbed her abdomen as if she had actually been hit with a hammer.

"Anyway! I didn't come here to by mocked by you!" Returning to her serious attitude, she continued her speech. "You have finally come to a place with no people nearby. Now, the four of you, could you come with me? I promise you will receive the best treatment."

That made Tohka and the Yamai sisters frown. They didn't know why, but this woman gave them a bad feeling. However, they stopped when Shidou gestured to them with his arm. His dead serios expression didn't allow questions.

"I can understand that you want to capture them, but what does this have to do with a normal person like me?"

Hearing Shidou's question, Ellen laughed. "A normal person you say? Don't make me laugh, Shidou-san. There's no way someone who can fight something like White Licorice without a CR-Unit could be normal. That's a really impressive feat. If you come with us and allow us to magically refine you, you could become a truly powerful wizard."

The girls didn't understand what she was talking about, but Shidou did. And that made him grit his teeth.

"So you want to do to me the same thing you did to Mana."

That surprised Ellen. "Oh, so you know 'Adeptus 2'. Well, that saves me quite an explanation. Well? What do you think of my generous offer?"

"Generous offer you say... " For the first time, Tohka and the Yamai sisters saw Shidou truly angry. "You left her body in such a deplorable state that she can barely live a few more years, and you call that a generous offer!?"

"She lost a little of her lifespan in exchange for great power. In order to change this world, that is but a small price."

"So 'the end justifies the means', huh? No thanks, but I'm not joining a company with that kind of twisted ideology. And, I'm not letting you lay a finguer on these girls."

Ellen sighed at his answer. "Well, I actually just wanted to make my job easier."

After saying that, her body was wrapped in a pale light, and the next moment, her business suit had been replaced by a silver mechanical suit and a large CR-Unit. From that she drew a laser sword, as she put on a smile that reminded Shidou of Gilgamesh.

"Sorry, but I'm going to bring you with me, even if I have to drag your limbless body. 'Bandersnatch'!"

Taking that as a sign, several strange figures emerged from their hiding places in the undergrowth around them.

Their shape was humanoid, but it was obvious that they were not human. They had a slender body, with a smooth head resembling a helmet. Their legs were bent in the opposite direction from the humans, and their arms were large, giving a sense of imbalance. They were equipped with metal armor, and what looked like parts of a CR-Unit.

Two of those figures jumped from the branch of a tree above Kaguya and Yuzuru, trying to catch them. Such a thing should not be able to even came close to a spirit, but, the two of them right now were not equipping their absolute defense, the astral dress. The attack caught them off guard, and they didn't have time to summon it. They could only see helpless as their captors approached them to knock them out.

However, a reinforced foot crashed against the head of one of the robots, buttoning the metal piece and sending the robot flying into a tree. On its way, it collided with the other robot, knocking them both out.

The eyes of the Yamai sisters turned to the person who had just saved them. There was Shidou, with his leg still high after performing a magnificent flying kick. In the background, the Bandersnatch who had tried to ambush him was hanging from a tree, with a sword piercing his head.

"Are you all right?" The two could only nod stunned by the sudden event.

"Good. Don't let your guard down. We're surrounded by those things."

After saying that, he looked at Ellen. The woman's smile had grown upon seeing what had just happened.

On the other hand, Tohka's Yukata had been transformed into a limited astral dress, and in her hand dhe wielded Sandalphon. The robot that tried to ambush her had been cleanly cut in half, its inert parts lying on the floor.

"It seems that the information we had was totally correct. Okay. Come on. Let's see how strong you are, Itsuka Shidou and 'Princess'."

The two joined together shoulder to shoulder, observing their surroundings. Shidou had his hands in position to grab a couple of handles that didn't exist yet.

"Tohka, how many of those things do you think there are?"

She responded with an equally serious tone, her childish personality completely faded.

"I don't know the number exactly, but there are too many. The entire forest is full of them."

Shidou nodded. "Tohka, I want you, Kaguya, and Yuzuru to make your way through them and return to the hotel. With so many witnesses, you will be safe there. I will distract Ellen."

"No Shidou." Tohka's denial surprised Shidou. "That woman really gives me a bad feeling. I can't let you be alone with her and surrounded by all these things. I will be the one fighting her!"

"Wait, Tohka! She is not an opponent you can defeat with brute force alone!"

Shidou's words fell on deaf ears. Tohka rushed at her with a battle cry, Sandalphon prepared for a downward swing with all her might.

But, to her surprise, Ellen stopped her attack by lazily raising her sword. Her enormous strength, though limited, was not able to move the wizard even an inch.

"Oh... is that all?"

"Kuh!"

Letting out a voice of frustration, Tohka continued to swing her blade quickly, attacking from every possible angle.

But, her opponent kept up, stopping and deflecting all of her attacks effortlessly, her laser sword clashing in balance with Sandalphon.

After what seemed like a minute, Ellen sighed disappointed. "Is that all you have, 'Princess'? I expected a lot more from a AAA rank spirit."

"Wha-What did you say?"

"I even went so far as to equip 'Pendragon', however... this is disappointing. Let's get this over with. Perhaps Shidou-san can entertain me more."

"Tch. I won't let you touch Shidou!"

This time they both swung their swords with all their strength at the same time. The clash produced a huge rumble that echoed through the forest.

"Gah!" The sound of something breaking made Tohka gasp. Her greatsword had been destroyed in the clash, and she found herself flying into a tree.

"Tohka!" Shidou screamed worried as he watched her roll on the floor and not get up.

Since that woman had armed herself, Shidou knew that Tohka could not fight her. That woman wasn't like any opponent she'd faced. Her movements and posture spoke of a vast combat experience, and with this demonstration, he could see that she was at the level of a servant.

On the other hand, Tohka had little combat experience from her battles with the AST, and her fighting style was built on her enormous power. And now, with her power reduced to a mere fraction, she was at a complete disadvantage.

"'Bandersnatch', take her to 'Arbatel' while I deal with the rest." On the wizard's orders, two robots grabbed Tohka by the arms and set out to knock her out.

Shidou, without a second thought, ran towards her. Several 'Bandersnatch' stood in his way, and practically surrounded him. But, that did not matter to him.

"Trace, on!"

His hands shone with magical energy, and the next moment, Kanshou and Bakuya were in his hands. With swift and precise movements, he began to cut his way to Tohka. The robots could hardly react before they were torn apart by what looked like a steel whirlwind.

But halfway through, his instincts started ringing alarms in his head. The sound of the laser sword cutting through the air was the only sign he had.

He turned quickly, swinging Kanshou upwards in the direction from which the sound came. Another sound of steel clash echoed, and Shidou leapt back to regroup.

In front of him was Ellen, with her smile back on her face. "That's much better. Come on, Itsuka Shidou, show me that power of yours capable to face the White Licorice."

Shidou clicked his tongue. Ellen's battle thirst was on par with Lancer's, and her arrogance could even compete with Gilgamesh's. She had undergone a huge personality change since equipping her CR-Unity. Though, he couldn't help but roll his eyes to the name of the armor.

The woman was strong, and he could see why by the standards of this world she had the title 'Strongest Wizard'. But she wasn't even remotely close to the King of Knights.

Still, even if he was confident he could beat her, he wasn't sure if he could beat her in time to rescue Tohka.

He'd have to get real serious and go all out.

But, before he could make his first move, Ellen widened her eyes to see something above her and jumped back a few feet. Moments later, a blur crashed where she'd been.

At the same time, a long chain pierced the chest of all the 'Bandersnatch' near Tohka and sent them flying away from her.

When the smoke dispersed, Shidou could see Kaguya, dressed in her strange astral dress and pulling her huge purple spear from the ground. Yuzuru landed beside her, wielding her pendulum-like chain and also wearing her astral dress, and both turned to look at Shidou.

"Kuku. Don't forget the daugthers of hurricanes, Shidou. We are not helpless damsels. Besides, I'm gonna make that woman pay for doing that to my familiar."

"Consent. Kaguya and Yuzuru will take care of Ellen. Shidou, you protect Tohka and get rid of those repulsive things."

Shidou nodded. "Okay. But don't destroy the place... and be carefull."

"Of course. That's a piece of cake for us."

"Agree. We still have to give you our answer."

"Hoh, now 'Bersek' also wants to join the party. Well, that'r right with me. I don't care about the order in which to defeat you." Ellen's confident voice provoked the Yamai sisters.

"Fuum. Let's teach to this woman that the Yamai are not to be played with, Yuzuru."

With that said, Kaguya and Yuzuru lunged for Ellen, and an air battle began. The collisions of their weapons were heard constantly, and the strong wind generated by the power of the Yamais began to whipe out the forest.

Shidou looked away from the fight and focused on the robots that were closing in on him and Tohka.

Fighting all of them while protecting Tohka was going to be tricky, so he'd have to end this quickly. Besides, the sooner he gets rid of them, the sooner he can help Kaguya and Yuzuru.

The problem was that the clothes he was wearing were not optimal for combat. But, that was something he could easily fix. Since everyone here had changed their outfits, it was only fair that he did too.

With a mental order, his only equipment as a servant that had remained in spiritual form until now, was manifested. The only link to his previous life, and the last memory he had of the person who saved him from that hell. His trusty combat armor that accompanied him on the countless battlefields in which he participated.

The red cloak waved with the strong winds, as the King of Fakers began to efficiently slaughter the robots with his married swords.

Tohka opened her eyes for a few moments, and could not help but be paralyzed. She knew that Shidou was far from helpless, but that display of skill with his swords left her stunned.

But what really struck her most was that armor. She recognized it instantly. It was the same one that man on the top of the hill of swords was wearing.

* * *

"Establish an area of defensive territory at 13:00, coordinates 132-50-39. Radius 255-246."

"Y-yes Sir. Protective defensive established; coordinates 132-50-39. Radius 255-246."

Following Vice Commander Kannazuki's instructions, 'Deep Love' Minowa manipulated the console.

The territory around Fraxinus condescended at those exact coordinates, forming an invisible wall of the indicated radius. Just a few seconds later, the enemy mana cannon hit that area.

Thanks to this action, the ship simply staggered a bit, but suffered no apparent damage.

They had been doing the same for some time, blocking the firing of the enemy ship's powerful weapon thanks to Kannazuki's precise instructions. The crew of 'Fraxinus' was still shocked to see for the first time the serious side of the self-proclaimed leader of the Kotori fan club, but they put aside those thoughts in order to get out of this predicament safe and sound.

Less than ten minutes ago, they had been running tests to re-establish communications with Analyst Officer Murasame. In the process, they disabled the airship's invisibility for a few moments, but apparently that was enough for one ship, which was obviously hostile, to detect them and open fire on them.

They've been at a standstill all this time, and it's about time they attacked.

"I really wanted to be tortu-... I mean, attacked a little bit more, but I can't let them damage Commander Itsuka's World Tree." He watched for a moment the image of the enemy aircraft displayed on the screen and stretched his arm to give the order. "Prepare the magic convergence cannon 'Mystletainn'."

All crew members prepared to fire Fraxinus' main weapon. But, they stopped when they heard the door leading to the bridge open.

"A DEM airship, huh? So that's why this place keeps wobbling."

The little girl who had just entered the bridge with her hands in her pockets commented, her crimson eyes looking at the image of 'Arbatel'.

Everyone's eyes fixed on her. "Oyah, what are you doing here, Miss Mana? The Analysis Officer asked you to rest while she was on the field."

To Kannazuki's question the golden girl huffed. "With all this racket you have here, it's impossible to rest. Therefore rejoice you peasants, 'cause you are to receive my help to destroy those lowlifes."

Everyone on the bridge rolled their eyes. Mana had been discreetly taken out (kidnapped) from the hospital a few weeks ago, and everyone was already used to being treated like this. In fact, Kannazuki liked it. It reminded him of how the Commander treated him.

She didn't care much. This was the perfect excuse to be able to leave that unpleasant enterprise once and for all. And she could also spend more time near her Nii-chan.

"But we cannot let you equip a CR-Unit, Miss Mana. That would spoil all the progress we have made to restore your body."

"And who said that they need such a device? Just give me a place to shoot, and I will destroy them." At that moment, Mana put on a smile that made everyone shiver.

At that moment, everyone saw a demon who only entered the battlefield to slaughter the enemy.

Kannazuki weighed it for a few moments, until he finally nodded. "Very well, we will take advantage of the opening that will give us our attack. Prepare to fire!"

"Yes sir!"

At the same time on the bridge of the aircraft 'Arbatel', the man in charge of it, Paddington, was grinding his teeth furiously.

"Why can't I hit them?"

He had been given a golden opportunity for a promotion when he shot down an aircraft of an enemy of DEM, but so far they had not even been able to scratch the ship. They were not even evading their attacks, but had remained static throughout the battle.

"T-the moment the shot hit them, it looks like a defensive territory was deployed in the area of impact." One of his subordinates answered his question hesitantly.

"That's impossible! How could anyone do such a thing!?"

That was a suicide maneuver. By deploying a defensive territory in one area, the rest of the ship was completely unprotected. If it was not properly calculated and the defensive territory did not stop the attack, the sairhip would go down.

And yet, after 12 hits, the enemy ship was still in the air. A shrill alarm echoed across the bridge, disrupting the conversation.

"Heat source confirmed! The enemy ship is concentrating mana in the main cannon located at the tip of the ship's body!"

"Kuh... Turn right to 1-0-4! Transfer all generated mana to the defensive territory!"

On Paddington's orders, the crew turned the ship around to avoid the huge mana beam that fired 'Fraxinus'. Even so, the attack crossed the protective territory and grazed Arbatel's side .

That made the commander even angrier. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Return all the driving force of 'Ashcroft-Beta' from number 50! After reducing the size of the territory to three meters above the ship surface, turn left! Full speed! Tear up the territory of the enemy airship!"

"Yes sir...! Wait! Something is coming out of the top of the ship! Looks like some kind of hatch has opened, sir!"

The image of the enemy ship on the screen was enlarged, and then they saw a figure emerge from inside the ship. A girl who looked thirteen, with golden blonde hair and tied in a ponytail, red eyes and dressed in a simple blue tracksuit. She had her arms folded, her legs spread apart, and a huge smug smile on her face.

_"Of course it's me, mongrels!"_ Her high voice somehow managed to reach the airship.

Although most of Arbatel's crew didn't recognize her, Paddington did.

"Takamiya Mana!" He practically spit when he said her name.

He had enough contempt for Ellen Mathers, but his hatred towards the golden girl was immeasurable. The few times he met her, she always looked down at him and treated him like scum.

"What is that girl doing on the enemy ship!? No... This is my chance, to teach that damn brat a lesson! Go ahead with the plan!"

However, another of his subordinates interrupted him again. "What in the world is this!? It cannot be! SThe sensors are detecting spiritual waves coming from the enemy ship, sir!"

"WHAT!?"

They all looked at the image on the screen in complete shock. The Gate of Babylon was opened, and a great number of the king's treasures were traversing it, displaying their blades and filling the space behind her with golden ripples.

_"Hahaha! You will have the honor of being crushed by me, you filthy pest!"_

At her signal, all the models of legends were shot at the 'Arbatel'. The distance was crossed in just a heartbeat, and the defensive territory barely lasted a few seconds before being completely pierced by the sheer power of the noble phantasms.

The airship began to stagger as if there was an earthquake of the highest magnitude. The alarms started ringing all over the place, and the electricity started to fail.

"What the hell is going on!?"

"A-all realizers are being damaged, Sir! We have already lost more than fifty percent of the mana generation!"

"The damage to the Arbatel's structure is already sixty percent and is increasing quickly!"

"This can't be happening!" Paddington grabbed his military cap, threw it to the ground and proceeded to pluck his hair.

Since when was that girl so absurdly powerful!? Forget about being the second most powerful wizard in the world! She was a monster, much worse than Ellen or the spirits!

A huge explosion shook the entire ship. A Vajra had struck the core of the 'Ashcroft-Beta' engine, destroying it completely and leaving the ship without even the ability to stay in the air. The ship began to descend into the sea, its structure falling apart.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Paddington's anger was reaching levels where he was close to have a heart attack.

All his plans had been ruined by that brat. He no longer cared about anything other than destroying her.

"Concentrate all the Mana we have in the cannon and shoot it at that girl!"

"But Sir-!"

"DO IT!"

The few crew members who had not panicked and had started running towards the emergency exits began to nervously manipulate the consoles.

"Hoh?" Mana watched with some interest as Arbatel cannon began to accumulate the little magical energy left to the ship.

She had eagerly awaited the opportunity to crush with her own hands those DEM morons and their highly acclaimed superior technology. Therefore, she had studied the internal structure of their aircrafts, and thus knew where to fire Gil's treasures.

Destroying them in a matter of seconds had been pleasant, but at the same time she didn't enjoy it as much as she'd hoped.

"I see you are going to put up a little fight before you fall miserably. Very, so be it. I shall accept your challenge and crush you with everything I have."

A golden ripple appeared at her feet, and a golden hilt emerged from it. Her two hands grabbed it, and she raised the European-style sword above her head.

"Consider this one blow as my renunciation of working with your disgusting company!"

The blade of the sword wrapped itself in golden light, and Mana prepared to swing it forward.

Finally, Arbatel's cannon fired its attack. The mana beam quickly headed for Mana.

"Merodach!"

Shouting the true name of the sword in her hands, Mana swung it forward.

The beam of light that burns everything it touches was fired, and completely obliterated Arbatel's attack . The ruined aircraft was split in half as if it had been cut by a giant sword, and the beam of light followed its path into the atmosphere, illuminating the night sky completely.

Mana put the sword back in the treasury as she returned inside. Her right hand grabbed her right arm tightly as it was beginning to spasm and went numb.

"So this is my current limit, huh?"

* * *

"Guh!"

Kaguya grunted in pain as her back slammed into the forest floor.

That woman Ellen was really tough. Although thanks to their perfect coordination the Yamai sisters had had the advantage, they did not manage to land any decisive blow.

Instead, Ellen's laser sword had managed to get through Kaguya's guard, causing her a pretty nasty cut on her chest. Her astral dress had mitigated most of the damage, but that wound, added to her fatigue from the prolonged battle, was troubling.

"Concern. Kaguya! Are you okay?"

Yuzuru landed next to Kaguya, her stoic expression now filled with concern.

"This is nothing... for a Yamai..." Kaguya assured her as she managed to get up using her spear as a cane.

Ellen landed in front of them. Unlike Kaguya and Yuzuru, she had barely a few scratches. She slowly approached the two orange-haired girls, her blade beside her, and an expression of sheer cruelty.

"That was definitely a much better fight than 'Princess'. Well, what should I do with you two? Carrying three spirits in the 'Arbatel' may be too much. Should I kill one of you and remove the Sephira Crystal?"

Her words caused the Yamai sisters to get their hair on end, but they put aside their fear and prepared to keep fighting.

The problem was that their opponent was not just Ellen. Several 'Bandersnatch' had approached them and surrounded them.

They really were in a rather desperate situation.

However, something unexpected happened. It could almost be considered a miracle.

All of a sudden, the robots started shaking and staggering, and their bodies kept releasing sparks and squeaking. It was obvious that something was not working well inside them.

"What...?" Ellen looked at them with surprise, and immediately touched her intercom. "This is 'Adeptus 1'. 'Arbatel', is there something wrong-?"

Her words were interrupted when a series of shrill, chaotic sounds almost broke her eardrum.

"'Arbatel', what's going on?"

There was no answer to her question, at least one coherent. Between the sounds of alarms and explosions, she managed to hear some voices.

_"A-all realizers are being damaged... The damage to the ship's structure... quickly increasing..."_

Hearing that, her eyes widened. Although 'Arbatel' was not the most powerful aircraft manufactured by DEM, it was still a force to be reckoned with. And from what she was hearing, the airship was about to be taken down.

What kind of airship were they facing with such destructive power?

The sounds suddenly became static, and at once the sky lit up completely. What looked like a huge beam of light pierced the heavens and splitted the clouds in its path. And if what she had just heard was an indication, that might as well be what took down 'Arbatel'.

What kind of ridiculous weapon was that? Even the most powerful mana cannons produced by DEM barely reached a fraction of that power.

"Wait..." At that moment, her brain realized something. If the 'Bandersnatch' no longer worked and were damaged, then...

"You're wide open, 'World's strongest wizard'!"

Ellen turned quickly to the voice, just to see a pair of swords fly toward her.

The married swords drew beautiful arcs and attacked the DEM wizard from both sides, aiming directly at her neck.

"Kuh!"

She quickly swung her laser sword to deflect the Yin Yang swords, but her movements were not fast enough. Kanshou bounced off against 'Caledfwlch', but Bakuya managed to make a cut on her shoulder.

Grunting in pain, she glared at the attacker. At that moment, she realized that Itsuka Shidou was already right in front of her, dressed in a combat suit that he certainly had not worn moments before, and with his hands raised above his head, holding a sword that had just appeared.

Ellen's eyes widened and her eyebrows reached her fringes.

"That sword!"

Her surprise came not only from the teenager's display of speed to cross in just an instant the distance between them. She was surprised by the sword in his hands. It was impossible for that sword to be in the hands of that boy.

However, she had to remove those thoughts by force and quickly raise her laser sword to stop her opponent's downward swing.

The clash of blades shook the place. Ellen's feet sank to the ground, and her arms trembled, barely able to withstand the absurd strength of her adversary.

There was no way she could win that struggle. So she quickly gave the mental order so that her territory would expand and repel the boy.

But, Shidou got ahead of her.

"HAAAAAHHH!"

Ellen didn't need a sensor to realize that Shidou was pouring an enormous amount of magical energy into the sword.

Then the world turned white, followed by the sound of destruction.

When everyone's eyes could see again, Ellen could no longer be seen anywhere. The Yamai sisters who were close to the fight could not help but gasp at the sight of the huge ditch that had formed on the ground in front of Shidou.

It was a massive sinkhole in which several people could easily fit, and it stretched as far as the eye could see, probably reaching the edge of the island.

Even Shidou himself was surprised at that. He was sure that Durandal should not have caused so much destruction. It was a noble phantasm that he was used to using, so he knew perfectly how much magical energy he had to use to just knock out his opponent.

But, he had felt something strange in using the noble phantasm. He felt that the experience of the sword's original owner invaded him.

That would be normal with another weapon, but not with that one. The Durandal he found during his first life had just been Durindana, the spear of the hero of Troy, Hektor, and had not yet been used by Roland. Therefore, the weapon should not have any experience...

"Shidou-!" Tohka's voice was heard near them, but for some reason, she seemed to skip a beat. "W-why you have Sandalphon in your hands, Shidou!?"

"Eh?"

Shidou was officially confused. It was impossible for Tohka to mistake Durandal for her own angel.

Then it was Shidou's turn for his eyes to widen as he saw the sword in his hands.

She was right. In his hands was not the elegant black sword with golden hilt, but the white greatsword with a blue crystalline edge.

"What is this doing here!?"

He was quite sure that the weapon he wanted to project was Durandal, but somehow the sword he ended up pulling out from his inner world was Sandalphon.

But that wasn't the time to start thinking about it. With Ellen missing and no sign of her coming back to restart the fight, there was only one thing to do.

Leaving Sandalphon to fade into blue specks, Shidou approached the Yamai sisters and checked their condition. He frowned upon seeing the cut that Kaguya had received.

"We need to get you to the hotel as soon as possible and treat that wound. Can you walk, Kaguya? If you can't, I'll carry you."

Kaguya's cheeks are colored. "N-you don't have to carry me there. I can walk without help."

"It's fine. The wound is superficial, so it's not urgent to treat it."

"Still, we need to get out of here as soon as possible. Follow me, we will surround the hotel and enter from behind."

"What's the hurry, Shidou? Didn't you already beat that terrifying woman?"

Tohka's question reminded him that the concepts of 'discretion' and 'secrecy' did not apply to spirits.

Giving a tired sigh, he proceeded to explain. "Tohka, we can't let anyone see us dressed like this, looking like we're coming from a cosplay convention. Besides, I don't want to have to explain to anyone where all those robots came from, or what caused that huge ditch."

"Well, you're right about that... but where did you get that armor?"

Tohka's words made Kaguya and Yuzuru also wear Shidou's combat suit. They suspected that Shidou was not normal, but after what they saw, that fell short.

For some reason, all three of them felt that this armor fit him. It felt right for him to wear that suit and not another.

"This? Well, it's my combat suit. It's not as impressive as an astral dress, but it does its job. Most mundane attacks will not even scratch it, and the mantle increases my magical resistance."

With another mental order, the suit returned to its spiritual form and he was again dressed in a yukata.

"Well, it's time to take our leave."

Saying that, he began to walk among the trees, the girls following him closely.

Yuzuru stepped forward to walk next to Shidou. "Question. Shidou, what are you?"

He was not surprised by the question. After what had happened, there was no way they would still believe he was normal.

"I'm a human, but a special one. I'm a magus. Details will have to wait until we get to a discreet place."

"So, is it true that you have a contract with death?" Kaguya asked with some expectation.

Shidou rolled his eyes. "No. As I told you yesterday, although I am a magus, I have no connection with death."

Kaguya seemed to deflate hearing his answer. Taking over, Yuzuru was next to speak.

"Question. So... about Kaguya and Yuzuru both living in peace..."

"If you choose that option, I promise you I will save you. But it has been a long night, so I will not ask you to make the decision now. You can wait until tomorrow as originally agreed."

Kaguya and Yuzuru looked at each other.

They reached a consensus without the need for words. The boy named Itsuka Shidou had already saved their lives, so they knew that his words were far from empty.

That was how he was, always worrying more about others than himself.

With their decision made, both looked at Tohka. "Hey, Tohka."

"Nn? What is it?"

"Request. You could lend us Shidou for a moment."

Tohka tilted her head in confusion and Shidou raised an eyebrow. "I don't mind it, but... why?"

"It's fine, it'll be just a moment. Please wait here."

With that said, the two grabbed Shidou by the arms without asking his opinion and dragged him behind some trees.

"What do you two want now? If it's for the election-"

"It's okay, so keep quiet."

"Agree. Silence is gold."

When they were already quite far away from Tohka, they let go of their arms and stood in front of him.

"Shidou... well, how I put this... thank you. In so many ways."

"Thankful. Not only did you save us, but thanks to you the eternal dispute between Kaguya and Yuzuru will come to an end."

Shidou simply shook his hand. "You don't have to thank me. Being able to help you is enough for me. However, that means..."

"Yes. We have decided to trust you, Shidou. But before that, we have want to give you a present."

"But-"

"No buts."

"Request. Close your eyes."

The authoritarian tone of the two made him shut up and close his eyes. Seconds later, he noticed something soft was touching his lips on both sides. That feeling...

His eyes opened suddenly, and then he saw the Yamai sisters kissing him at the same time. His brain was almost shorted out by surprise, and he had to repress his urge to jump back from surprise.

"Wh-what are you two doing?!"

Kaguya, though her face was red like a tomato, managed to sit back and take a dignified stand.

"L-like I said, it's a present for you. T-the first kiss of two super beauties, Yuzuru and me, you know? I expected you to jump up and dance with joy, but that reaction was good too."

Yuzuru only bowed her head to disguise his shame. "Apology. Was it a nuisance?"

"No. That's not what I mean..."

It was too late. He didn't expected it to work, but by the time the two of them kissed him, he could feel all of their spiritual power entering his body and creating the bond between them. That meant...

"Huh!? Kyaaaaaaaaa!"

"Ashamed. You pervert!"

Unlike Tohka and Shidou, who had returned to their mundane clothes, the sisters still wore their astral dresses. And now that they didn't have enough spiritual energy to keep it manifested, they were fading away in specks of light.

The two immediately crouched down to try to cover their inner parts.

"Y-you two, calm down! This is what I meant when I told you you could live peacefully. Your spiritual powers are now sealed-"

This is why he wanted to wait until the next day and calmly explain things to them.

"Hey, Shidou, what's with the cries? Did anything happen?"

His E rank luck went into action when Tohka walked up to them and found such a scene.

"Shi-shidou!? Wh-wh-wh-what are you doing to them!"

"It's not what you're thinking! This is a misunderstanding!"

To make matters worse, Kaguya and Yuzuru spoke.

"Shidou suddenly took off my clothes..."

"Crying. Yuzuru can no longer marry."

With that, Tohka seemed to connect the dots, and her head practically exploded into steam.

"Don't tell me... Shidou, did you seal their powers?"

"Well, yes..."

"They are two... then you have to kiss me twice!"

"Wait Thoka, this is not the time-!"

Shidou could not continue to speak when Tohka rushed on top of him to start kissing him.

Yes, his life had really gotten messy.

* * *

Kotori walked happily through the corridors of Ratatoskr's secret base. Her outfit was unusual, as she was wearing her military jacket and not carrying it over her shoulders, and she didn't have a lollipop in her mouth.

She hardly seemed to have had a meeting with the top officials of the organization, people she didn't like very much.

If those guys were already paranoid about Shidou's ability to seal spirits, imagine when they found out about his condition as a wiz- er... magus.

Some even wanted to put her Onii-chan in a holding cell like a monster and just let him out to go talk to spirits.

Just thinking about them made her very cranky. If it wasn't for the fact that most of them weren't physically there, she probably would have ended up punching some of them.

It's a good thing Mr. Woodman was sympathetic and knocked down those unreasonable proposals. If Mana ever finds out about this, Kotori doubted those guys will be alive for long. Besides, Shidou was a pacifist by nature, but he wasn't going to let himself be locked up without a fight, and that wouldn't end well for them either.

Finally, she stopped in front of a door and took a deep breath before knocking.

"Itsuka Kotori has arrived."

"Enter..."

Yes." After giving a short answer, Kotori entered the room.

The place looked like a library with several bookshelves filled with books. The most peculiar thing was that all of them instead of being written with normal texts were in Braille writing.

And in the back of the room, behind a desk was the man she had come to visit, and the reason she was so cheerful.

"It's been a long time, Commander Itsuka."

He was an older looking man, but he could not be considered an old man. Her hair and beard were white, and his eyes gave a sense of kindness.

This man was Elliot Woodman, president of the Round Table, founder of the Ratatoskr organization, and Kotori's benefactor.

"It's been a long time, Mr Woodman." After saying that, Kotori put her heels together and bowed.

"It seems you've been very active lately. The others at the round table were surprised."

"Nothing to be surprised about, it's part of their job."

"Well, don't say that. They're them, and they're capable and necessary people for Ratatoskr... More importantly, Commander Itsuka, I heard that many events have been going on lately. Your brother turned out to be a... what was the term? Magus?"

"That's correct, sir."

"Well, that was shocking news indeed. But, I also heard that you used Camael. Have you been taking care of yourself?"

"Yes. I'm sorry I made you worry."

"Don't worry. I think I should be the one apologizing for forcing you to do such a risky thing."

Kotori couldn't help but notice a small smile on his lips. Though her Onii-chan didn't trust Ratatoskr's top brass very much, and she didn't blame him, she expected him and Mr Woodman to get along.

"Oh, by the way, a few moments ago I received a report."

"A report?"

"It seems that 'Fraxinus' was attacked by an enemy aircraft, allegedly belonging to DEM industries."

Kotori was not very surprised to hear that. She had already received that report before.

"I heard it. However, Kannazuki was with them, so they shouldn't have had any problems."

"Well, they certainly haven't had any problems. Apparently, Takamiya Mana, the girl you recently took in, destroyed the airship by herself. As I understand it, she's also a magus, right?"

"That's correct, sir."

Internally, Kotori had to suppress her desire to caress her face with her hand. Seriously, that girl did not understand the concept of discretion.

"The problem would be another."

"What do you mean by that, Sir?"

Woodman showed slight hesitation before speaking. "... Apparently, your brother manifested an angel."

Kotori was surprised by that, but did not overreact. If that had been told to her a few months earlier, she would be frightened, but after discovering her brother could control the energy within his body at will, that was no longer so troubling.

Woodman showed her the report in question, which consisted of several papers, both in Braille script and in plain text. Seeing in the attached picture that it was Sandalphon, a sword angel, she calmed down even more.

"I see... well, most likely he could reproduce it with his magecraft..."

Then, as she looked more into the image, her eyes widened and her breath was cut. It was something that had been overlooked in the report, surely attributed to Shidou's abilities.

However, she immediately recognized what Shidou was wearing. That combat suit... was indeed... exactly the same as that weared by the man on the hill of swords.

First her brother's hair becoming the same color, and now this. What did this mean? Was that man really Shidou?

Woodman's voice forced her back to reality. "That's a pretty plausible possibility. Still, if anything happens, we might need to take care of it properly. Otherwise, the spirits that have their power sealed, would cause a disaster."

"Understood..." Kotori's voice came out as a whisper. This was something she really didn't want to think about.

Seeing her, Woodman's expression softened. "I'm sorry you have to assume such an unpleasant role."

"No, there is no other option... in the future, if the worst-case scenario were to happen..." She bit her lips unconsciously, and forcefully pressed her left arm with her right hand to try to stop the tremor in her body.

She _really_ didn't want to have to do that. Her Onii-chan, the person who lived to help others, never receiving anything in return, did not deserve such a thing. But, she knew that, if he were to become a monster, he himself would surely ask the same.

_"I will kill Shidou."_

* * *

**And that's it for now. DEM was defeated pretty hard, and the King has returned, mongrels! As I said, Mana/Gilgamesh is going to have a lot of importance in this story. In fact, her grand entrace is a reference to swimsuit Nero's noble phantasm.**

**As for what happened in the night between the last chapter and this one, I'll leave it to your imagination, although no, there was no sex. It is enough doujinshi? Very likely. But, I will not put risqué scenes in this story. That's why this is not in M rating. Besides, I doubt I can write a good scene of that kind.**

**And, did anyone expect to see King of Fakers use Saldalphon? The reason he didn't use it in the omake of the previous chapter was to not spoil it. Besides, even though some angels are as powerful as noble phantasms, it's better to use a weapon you're more familiar with, isn't it?**

**And I don't think I have to explain this, but I will anyway. There are two reasons why King of Fakers' Sandalphon is much more powerful than Tohka's in her limited state. The first is that the blueprint that is stored in the Unlimited Blade Works is that of the Sandalphon that Tohka wielded when she was with all her power. The second is the mana burst.**

**Yes, I recently discovered that the term 'prana' is not official, and the correct translation of 'maryoku' is magical energy. Well, I'm currently reading the Heaven's feel route, and that word never apeared in the other two routes. From now on I will refrain from using that word. **

**The next chapter would be the beginning of the next arc, although as I did in the previous chapter, I have original scenes planned during the months between each arc.**

**As always, I would like to hear your opinion in the reviews. And well, with the exams being these weeks, it will take a while to update. But sooner or later I will come back. Like with my other stories, I like to finish what I start. That's why for now I'm only working in two stories despite having so many other ideas in my head. The feeling you get when you reach the last chapter of a good fanfic and you see that it is unfinished and long since updated is not very pleasant. Mind you, do not take this as a complaint. This doesn't pay the bills, so it is understandable that some authors decide to stop spending their time with this.**

**With this, I bid you farewell for now. Until next time!**


	10. Chapter 9: an unexpected visit

**I'm back, people! This was faster than I expected, but I couldn't help it. I really wanted to write a certain scene in this chapter. You'll know which scene I mean immediately when you read it. But well, this chapter is a chapter of transition to the next arc, as well as a chapter of character development. And as always, humor cannot be missing.**

**And well, seeing how the poll is going, I have finally decided that yes, Shiori will appear in this story. It was not only for that. I was really thinking about an alternative so King of Fakers wouldn't have to cross-dress.**

**My first choice was to have Tohka try to talk to Miku to convince her not to ignore Shidou, and that he wasn't like she thought all men were. I dismissed that idea because it is IMPOSSIBLE for King of Fakers to agree to send Tohka alone to talk to a spirit that could brainwash her. Let alone being something he has to do, and of course, he'd rather risk his life than that.**

**The other option I came up with was for the two of them to start their relationship even worse than in the original story. That is to say, Miku already hating Shidou even before the festival, so she wouldn't ignore him. However, the development of that idea seemed very forced to me, and Miku could end up being a yandere, a type of characters that, I don't know about you, but I don't like them very much. They can make you laugh, but not much more than that.**

**And to be honest, I really find it difficult for King of Fakers not to accept Kotori's plan. He's a person with no pride on himself, and if to save someone's life he's willing to sacrifice his life, cross-dressing is nothing compared to that. He may be reluctant at first, but that mostly would be because it would feel wrong for him to deceive her like that, and because he cannot be disguised forever. But in the lack of a better plan, he would eventually accept.**

**Also, as I said in the previous chapter, I have plans for Shiori in future arcs.**

**Now, after all this diadem, let the chapter begin.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any rights over Type-Moon, the Fate franchise or Date a Live.**

* * *

Her purple eyes slowly opened to see the ceiling of what looked like a hospital room.

Although she had the feeling of having slept for a long time, she did not have the energy to move a single finger. Not that she could have done it anyway. Her body was wrapped in so many bandages and casts that it almost looked like a mummy.

As she heard the constant beep of the machine checking her heart rate, she tried to remember what had happened to her to end up like this.

The first thing that hit her head was pain. Her whole body hurt, even parts she didn't even know she had. It felt like a bullet train had run over her at full speed.

Putting that aside, she was slowly remembering. She had been assigned an undercover mission to capture the girl who looked like 'Princess' and the boy who managed to hold his ground against the 'White Licorice'.

After that came the battle in the forest, the destruction of the aircraft supporting her, and...

"I see..." At that moment, the 'World's strongest wizard' realized what had happened. "I was utterly defeated by that boy..."

Her mouth was filled with a bitter taste, and her mind with one emotion. Anger at the boy who left her in that state, and anger at herself for having let her guard down in the middle of the battle.

Of course, no one would expect a high school teenager to pull out Princess' angel out of nowhere, let alone use it even more powerfully than the owner. Even knowing that Itsuka Shidou was not a normal person, it still bordered on the ridiculous.

The worst of it was that she was defeated with only two attacks. Two lethal attacks that the boy launched without hesitation when he saw the slightest opening.

She doubted that the majority of wizards in the world could avoid the first simultaneous attack of the two black and white swords. Such an attack required precision and coordination that would require several years of training to execute it.

And yet, a 16-year-old teenager performed it without much effort to perfection, as if he'd been doing it all his life.

Not to mention Sandalphon. In their database it was recorded that that angel could fire bursts of spiritual energy, but not in the scale of that last attack. To do so, it has to reveal its true form, 'Halvanhelev'.

And yet Itsuka Shidou did so without revealing the true form of the sword.

Ike was really right to call that kid an anomaly. The questions they had about the boy had now increased exponentially. Just thinking about it gave her a headache, and given her current condition, that was the last thing she needed.

Lucky for her, considering her situation, she didn't have to look for anything else to entertain her mind with when the door in the room opened.

Ellen moved her neck as far as she could to look at the two figures appeared through the door. The first was a woman who had to be from the DEM medical team because of her suit. The other person was none other than Isaac Westtcot himself.

"Oh, I see you've already woken up, Ellen. That's a relief. We thought you were going to stay in a coma forever." After saying that, Westtcot smiled and turned to look at the nurse. "Go call the doctor. I'll stay and talk to her."

The nurse simply bowed and left the room. Having been left alone, Ellen mustered the few energy she had to speak.

"Ike... how long have I been unconscious?"

"Almost two weeks. About eleven days to be exact. Even with our most advanced medical realizers, it was hard to keep you alive. That boy really did a number on your body. We found you under a pile of dirt and rock, with torn muscles, broken bones, some damaged organs, and your right arm was barely hanging from a thread of flesh. If you hadn't put all your mana into your defensive territory at the last second, you would be no longer with us."

Ellen's expression darkened even more, as opposed to Ike's. Despite the subject he was talking about, his smile did not disappear from his face. Moreover, the man seemed even enthusiastic.

"And... what happened to... Arabatel?"

"The wreckage of the airship, if you can call it that, fell into the sea. We can assume with certainty that there were no survivors. I had to prioritize recovering you, my dear Ellen, so the black box is most likely in the hands of the enemy."

Ellen's face was filled with shame, and she'd be looking down if she could. "I apologize for my incompetence... I will assume all the consequences for the utter failure of my mission."

Westtcot chuckled. "You don't have to blame yourself so much, my dear Ellen. There were too many unknown variables. Besides, it's not like we haven't gotten anything out of this mission."

"What do you mean by that? All I could do was confirm Yatogami Tohka's true identity as 'Princess'."

"That wasn't all. I was watching your fight with the spirits and Itsuka Shidou through the cameras built insede the Bandersnarchs' head, and I also caught a glimpse of what, or rather, who brought down 'Arbatel'."

Ellen raised an eyebrow curiously. She remembered as if it were yesterday that huge beam of golden light.

"Apparently, our dear Mana has betrayed us. If our theory that the enemy aircraft belonged to Ratatoskr is true, we can asume that Takamiya Mana, former 'Adeptus 2', now works for them."

"So, you're saying she participated in the battle between the aircrafts?"

Hearing that, Westtcot could not suppress another giggle. "She didn't take part in the battle. Rather, she was the one who destroyed 'Arbatel'."

Ellen's eyes widened when she heard that. "It can't be. Even if she is a wizard whom only I can defeat, it is impossible for her to bring down an entire airship like 'Arbatel' by herself."

"Well, it seems she was hiding a really frightening, and at the same time interesting power from us. Arbatel couldn't even resist a few seconds. A picture is worth a thousand words, so when your treatment is over I will show you the images. And that's not all we get. I was also able to unravel part of the mystery around Itsuka Shidou."

That made Ellen's mind immediately put aside Mana's matter and focus all her attention on Ike.

"I had my doubts, but after seeing that pair of Chinese swords, there are no more. That boy is without any doubt the person who accompanied _that woman_."

Ellen had a little trouble connecting the dots, and when she did, she couldn't help but put on a face of disbelief.

"But that's impossible, Ike. Even if his appearance is identical, that boy has been dead for thirty years. You killed him yourself. Not to mention the abysmal difference in power and combat ability."

"I know, my dear Ellen. I can only speculate that this is the work of that woman. That could also explain how he managed to use an angel."

The conversation came to an end when the room door opened and several medical personnel with advanced medical equipment entered.

"Well, it seems I must take my leave for now, my dear Ellen. I hope you will recover soon. It is time to start implementing our plan. We have a trip to make to Japan in a few weeks."

* * *

"Then, ladies and gentlemen. The pitiful army of defeated. I want to ask you all, are we still experiencing the feeling of bitterness? Are we still crawling on the ground? Are we still trapped in defeat... !"

Yamabuki Ai slammed her fist into the podium in front of her, causing the microphone to emit a rather unpleasant beep.

"No! There's no way! Those guys have made a big mistake, they've given us time to sharpen our fangs for revenge! Our longed-for time has come! Glory to Raizen! Honor to Raizen!With an attack with all our strength, we'll tear their throats to pieces!"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!"

When the girl that was in the same class that I finished her motivational speech, all the students gathered and lined up in front of the podium began to raise their fists and scream.

As for me, I repressed as I could a grimace at the feeling of my eardrums in pain.

Not that I paid much attention to this sort of thing, but I had to admit that the speech was pretty good. Still, it seemed a little out of place. I mean, if we took this out of context, no one would think that a school festival would be held in a few days. No, what they'll probably think is that in a few hours we'll get on boats and head for a French coast where a lot of German soldiers are waiting for us.

"Shidou, what exactly is Ai saying? Is she trying to start a war somewhere?"

For proof of that you have what Tohka just asked me.

"No. What she is referring to is that within a few days the Tenou festival will be held. In simple terms, it's a much bigger school festival than usual involving all the schools in the city."

Tohka's eyes shone when he heard that. "School festival... Ohh, I've seen it on TV! It's a dream festival with food stands filling the school! That's great!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Of course, the first thing she would think about would be food.

"Then why are we having this kind of meeting?"

"Well, as I said, there are more schools participating in the festival. Apart from the food stands, there will also be competitions in which all schools will compete. Not that there's an impressive prize, but it seems that the idea of competing makes them quite excited."

Well, that and the apparent resentment they have because Raizen High never won first place in the contest. The fact that we usually came in second place only makes it worse.

As I explained the details to Tohka, I heard a pair familiar voices behind us.

"Kuku... I see. I Now I know why Ai and the others are excited!"

"Convinced. If that's the reason, then we cannot lose."

I turned to see the two identical beauties who had apparently been listening to the conversation.

The Yamai sisters had inserted themselves much more easily into society than Tohka and Yoshino, probably because of all those weird duels they had. Now that they were no longer under the pressure of 'only one can live', they had left behind the facade of hatred and contempt for the other and were now like two inseparable sisters.

In fact, it wasn't necessary for Reine to pull the strings to get them into my class when the two of them asked to go to school. According to her, having each other, they didn't need me around to be emotionally stable, which is a relief.

It is not that I am uncomfortable with their company, but even I can see that Tohka has become very dependent on me. That can become a problem. If what happened on the school trip is any indication, peaceful days could come to an end at any moment. And of course, I will enter the battlefield once more, to protect their smiles.

"Hmph, however, as long as the Yamai sisters are here, Raizen's victory is assured."

"Agree. The combination of Yuzuru and Kaguya is the strongest. We are invincible no matter the opponent that comes."

"Kuku. After all, anything can be achieved perfectly if Yuzuru is here."

"Affirmative. And Kaguya who is more perfect than Yuzuru is also here. There is no reason to lose."

The two of them started talking and itching on the arm like a couple of lovebirds. I couldn't help a smile showing up on my lips. I still don't know how in a couple of days they supposedly fell in love with me for the kiss to work, but seeing them like that feels right.

I had to turn my attention away from them when a hand landed on my shoulder. I turned to see who it was, and I saw Tonomachi with an unusually serious expression.

"Shidou, I've decided to throw away my pride and ask you. How you do it?" His dead serious tone was a clear indication that he was serious about this, but...

"Tonomachi, what do you mean with that?"

"Don't play dumb, Shidou-kun. First Tohka and Origami, and now the Yamai sisters. How did you achieve it!? How did you conquer these four beauties? I beg you, tell me your secret, sensei!"

I noticed a drop of sweat sliding down my neck. As much as he asked me that, even I don't know the answer. Besides, Origami in love with me? Nah, that's rather unlikely, even more than the other three he mentioned.

"Tonomachi, if you want advice on picking up girls, you went to the wrong person around here. I didn't do anything special. There were... some circumstances."

My answer made him look at me with disbelief, but before he said anything, a realization seemed to strike him.

"Circumstances... Oh, now I see! You mean you organized events like in an galgame. I didn't think you liked that kind of thing, but I see you're a man of culture as well." Tonomachi said nodding to himself all convinced.

My eyebrow began to tremble, and I felt the muscles of my face tighten, probably forming a very stiff expression. Worst of all, as much as I wanted to deny that nonsense, he was partly right!

The conversation ended when Ai spoke to the bus again.

"My dear brothers and sisters in arms, a small number of our members, including the Student Council's President, Kirisaki, have fallen halfway through goodwill. Therefore, I want to invite companions who are willing to succeed the ideals of the president and the others. If such a person exists, nome yourself!"

The crowd of students calmed down in that moment and began to look at each other confused. It was understandable. If I had not already spent more than a month being near Kaguya, I would not have understood the true meaning of that speech either.

I couldn't help but caress my face with my hand. That speech wouldn't have been out of place at the funeral of a squad that died doing their duty in Vietnam.

Seeing that no one dared to ask, I found myself in the obligation to raise my hand.

"What Ai means is that the president and his fellow executives resigned because of the stress and now they have to be replaced, right?"

With that explanation easier to understand, the people around me put faces of understanding. On the podium, Ai put on a relief face, and for some reason blushed.

"Yeah, basically that. Well? Any volunteers?"

The previously bustling gym fell completely silent. If one had dropped a needle, the sound would have even echoed.

Ai's expression turned into a nervous one. "No, well, even if we say that, most of the work is already done, y'know? It's true, really. All you have to do is sit in the meetings! It's a completely hassle-free and comfortable commission! It will also help to improve your level!"

Given that she had just said that the previous managers resigned because of the pressure, that was not very convincing.

As expected, all the students looked away when Ai looked at them. No one would want to have to stay late in meetings with representatives of another school, much less considering that the summer break ended just yesterday.

Ai's eyes looked directly at mine, and for some reason, I could see a ray of hope showing in her expression. Too bad I had to disappoint her.

Helping to repair things was one thing, but having to organize a school festival? Nah, I've never considered myself capable of leading people. Besides, I don't have the luxury of spending my time on this. I still haven't found out anything about Kurumi's whereabouts, And after a month of calm and peace, I wouldn't be surprised if a spirit showed up in the next few days.

Not to mention 'Phantom'. That was the provisional code name we gave to the being who turned Kotori into a spirit. Having a being who could do that on the loose was a problem. It could be said that Kotori not having her body incinerated by Camael's immense power was a miracle.

It was the same principle as a magic crests. The body rejects foreign objects that enter it. The reaction that that can cause can be fatal. Even Rin sometimes had the impulse of cutting off her arm where her magical crest was, and it was the crest passed down from her father.

Considering all that, I looked away like everyone else was doing. Just to realize something strange. All eyes were focused on me.

I quickly looked away to make sure I wasn't going crazy, but no, apparently everyone was actually looking at me.

"Oi, no way..." I began to fear the worst.

"The Fake Janitor would be a good candidate, don't you think...?"

"Yes, he always goes around helping everyone..."

"I agree. That handsome bastard must work until he faints!"

Hearing the whispers around me, I began to sweat. They were making a serious mistake. Just because I like helping people doesn't mean I'm fit to lead!

My desperate gaze focused on Tonomachi. "Hey, Tonomachi. You're not gonna tell me that you believe that too, are you?"

"Well... considering your reputation, it's no wonder everyone thinks so. Besides, there's what you did last year..."

I had a hard time remembering what he meant. "I didn't do anything special. The music club had a man down a few days before the contest, and I volunteered so they could at least participate in the contest."

He raised an eyebrow as if saying 'seriously'? "Shidou-kun, you had never played a guitar in your life, and with a few days of intense practice, you learned to play decently. Heck, the concert was even decent. Getting third place with a rookie in the band was pretty awesome."

Well, if he puts it that way, it seems like an incredible feat. The thing is, I wanted to help somehow and there was no Kyudo competition. And I also didn't want to draw attention by crushing everyone in the kendo competition.

"Still..."

My sentence was interrupted when I noticed that someone grabbed my hand. I turned to see Origami looking at me with a mysterious gleam in her eyes.

"I vote for Shidou to be president. I will be his faithful secretary. He and I will work together and alone to bring the festival forward. The. Two. Of. Us. Alone."

"You too, Origami!"

The next moment I noticed someone else pulling my other hand. That person was Tohka, and she started yelling at Origami.

"Hey, Tobiichi Origami! Don't go near Shidou! I don't know what secretary is, but I'll take the place next to Shidou!"

As if that weren't enough, the Yamais sisters joined in the discussion.

"Kuku. What are you doing on your own after leaving us out? A festival as big as this, wasn't it already decided that Shidou would enjoy it with us?"

"Warning. Shidou is Kaguya and Yuzuru's shared property. Even master Origami is not exempt. In case one wants to borrow him, please request it in writing at least a week in advance."

"You too!?"

The four girls started pulling me from all angles. That for some reason caused quite murderous intent to be directed in our direction, and also caused the male students to begin to suggest more strongly that I should be a member of the executive committee.

After coughing for attention, Ai proceeded to deliver her verdict. "Well, by unanimous vote, Itsuka-kun will be appointed to the executive committee."

"Wait-!" My voice was swallowed up by all the people in the gym screaming.

At that time, I could only think of one thing. Damn E rank luck!

* * *

It was around 5 o'clock that Shidou and the girls set out on their way home.

There was a lot of work to be done, like allocating budgets and distributing seats for each member, but they all managed to finish it in a reasonable time.

Yet so much paperwork made Shidou as mentally fatigued as if he had just fought a servant.

The golden-eyed boy was thinking about what to do for dinner. With the appearance of the Yamai sisters, there were now five mouths to feed. Luckily, though, Kaguya and Yuzuru weren't as hungry as Tohka. If that were so, he would have to think about taking a part-time job.

His thoughts were interrupted when apparently the conversation between the orange-haired sisters included him.

"Hey, Shidou. I forgot to mention it this morning, but Yuzuru and I had a really weird dream. We dreamed of the Unlimited Blade Works."

Shidou stopped in his tracks, leaving the foot with which he was stepping forward suspended in the air, and for a moment his breath stopped.

Doing all he could to remain calm, he turned to look at Kaguya. "Kaguya, where did you get that name?"

She simply smiled and inflated her chest with pride. "Kuku. We dreamed of an arid hill full of swords, an infinite creation of blades. Don't you think the name I gave to it is really accurate?"

"Well, yes..." And it sure is. She somehow managed to guess the name of his reality marble!

Wait, does that mean that the name of his inner world was chunny?

"Clarification. Even if Kaguya seems excited about the dream, she actually held on crying to Yuzuru as soon as she woke up and started saying things like 'Shidou don't leave me! 'or 'Please don't die alone, Shidou! '."

Kaguya's face bursted in red. "Yu-Yuzuru! I-I told you not to tell Shidou that! Wh-what about you!? You too were crying and wanted to see Shidou at all costs!"

That made Yuzuru's face turn red as well. That explained why the two of them showed up in his room in the middle of the night and without saying anything they hugged him until they fell asleep.

Shidou's expression darkened. Not only they, but Tohka, Yoshino, and Kotori had also dreamed of his past sporadically in the last month. If this continued, it could prove problematic.

It's not that he wanted to keep the secret of his former life from them forever. He knew perfectly well that sooner or later the will be out of the bag. The only reason he didn't tell them was because, well... the story is so ridiculous that they will likely think that he hit his head and was hallucinating.

No, the problem with the dream cycle was another. King of Fakers knew that, although he died without regrets, his life and the path he followed were not very pretty. Already in the Holy Grail War in which he participated before coming to this world, his master, Tohsaka Rin, was quite affected by seeing his past.

Although he found it a little odd that they were so sad to see her past, as they actually didn't know that that was his past. Maybe they knew deep down that the man who died alone on top of that hill of swords was him, but when they woke up they couldn't make the connection. Even if that was the case, it didn't feel right for them to cry over someone like him either.

The point was, he didn't like them to get sad and cry because of him. His goal, his ideal, was that they could live happily, and that was the exact opposite.

But, he doubted that he could do anything about it. The only way to stop the dreams was to break the link, and seeing what happened with Kotori, that wasn't a good idea.

"Anyway, the thing is we saw a man at the top of the Hill of Swords. A red knight who looked a lot like you."

"Confirmation. He was tall, had the same white hair as your strands, and wore the same armor as you when you fought that terrifying woman."

Listening to them, Tohka hit her palm with her fist, as if she had just remembered something important.

"Oh, I too have dreamt about that man several times. Although dreams are changing. The other day I dreamed that the red man was fighting a golden man in the same hill. It was like 'swooosh' and then 'boom'. The swords flew everywhere and clashed with each other. It looked like a those TV shows that Yoshino and Yoshinon watch."

"As expected of my familiar. You was able to discern the truth even before me."

After that, the three girls turned to look at Shidou to see if he had any answers. He always had answers for everything whenever they asked him.

Unfortunately, the answer to their question was too long and surreal.

"Well, I've never had a dream like that, so I wouldn't know what to tell you. It might be just a coincidence? Anyway, as long as it doesn't get worse, I don't think anything bad will happen. After all, they're just dreams."

The conversation on the subject ended there, to Shidou's relief, as they had already arrived at the Itsuka residence.

There they found Yoshino and Yoshinon waiting at the door. Unlike them, who were all dressed in school uniform, the blue-haired spirit was dressed in household clothes.

"We-welcome home... Shidou-san..."

"You finally got here, Shidou-kun. It's not good to make a lady wait, y'know."

"Oh, Yoshino, Yoshinon. You've been waiting for us the whole time? Although it is a commendable effort, it's not necessary. Wasn't today the transmission of the first chapter of that show that you were so looking forward to? You should think about having fun instead of me."

"That's true. But, Yoshino-chan here wanted to see it with Shidou-kun, right?"

Yoshino nodded in confirmation to what the puppet had said in her left hand. "Yes... Seeing that Shidou-san was taking so long... I set it to record... If you want... we can see it now."

For some reason, it took her a lot longer to finish that sentence than usual, and her cheeks were very red.

Shidou blinked a couple of times before responding. "Well, if that's what you want, it's all right with me-" His sentence was cut off when he noticed his arms were being held by two pairs of hands. "Huh?"

"Wait there, Yoshino-chan! Shidou is our property. He has to come with us first."

"Confirmation. Today was the day when the new video console we asked Kotori would arrive. Shidou will come with Kaguya and Yuzuru to play the three together."

Yoshino faced the Yamai sisters with a frown, which actually turned into a cute pout that would melt the hearts of most people.

Salvation, or so it seemed, came to Shidou in the form of Tohka taking Kaguya and Yuzuru away from him.

"Hey! Shidou and I have our training session today!"

At that time, Shidou remembered that he and Tohka had indeed agreed to train that day.

* * *

_Flashback_

"Shidou, please teach me how to fight like you!"

The golden-eyed teenager couldn't help but blink a couple of times at Tohka's sudden request.

He was sitting at the table, having a cup of tea after having washed the dishes, while Tohka was beside him, kneeling in an old-fashioned manner.

It had only been a few days since they returned from the school trip, so they were on summer vacation right now. Kotori was still busy with things from her work at 'Ratatoskr', something Shidou didn't like very much, Yoshino was enjoying one of the shows on TV and the Yamais sisters were busy settling into the apartment for spirits.

Shidou noticed how one of his eyebrows trembled for a moment. The situation was weird and wrong in many ways.

"Huh?"

"Shidou, I need you to train me! I need to be stronger!" She again made her request.

Shidou watched her calmly. This was not the childish Tohka who was just looking for something to play and entertain herself. No, the person in front of him was a spirit with a dignified demeanor almost like Saber's. She was totally serious about this.

"Ehem... Tohka, please get up. You don't have to do that kind of things to ask me for something."

She remained silent for a few moments, before rising up and facing him directly with eyes full of resolve.

"Well, now, please, can you explain to me why you want me to teach you how to fight like me?"

"I..." She looked at her hands for a moment before continuing. "Both in the incident with Kurumi and in the fight against that unpleasant woman, I couldn't do anything. I felt helpless without being able to help you and I could only watch as you, Shidou, were forced to fight the two of them alone. So..." She clenched her hands in fists and looked firmly at the boy who saved her. "I don't want that to happen again! I want to be able to fight beside you, and I want to be able to protect you!"

Shidou nodded in compression upon hearing her motive, and paused for a few seconds to think about how to respond to her request.

"I understand your motives, but... I'm going to have to decline."

Tohka's eyes opened wide, and her expression shifted to one that looked like a broken mirror. That made Shidou feel a twinge of pain in his heart, but his denial had several legitimate motives behind it.

"Why...?" That strangled word was all she could pronunce.

"First of all, when I promised to save you, I also promised you that I would take care of all your problems. I sealed your powers so you wouldn't have to fight anymore and you could have a peaceful life. So you should focus on enjoying your new life without having to worry about these kind things."

"Even if you tell me that, I can't let you Shidou be the only one who fights for the sake of me and the others... It just feels wrong... I don't want to have to feel the same heartbreaking feeling I felt when you were shot, and the same that I feel every time you put yourself in danger for my sake!"

Right now Tohka was on the verge of tears. Seeing this, Shidou let out a heavy sigh. This brought back memories of his conversation with Rin about his tendency to put the well-being of others before his own.

He promised that he would strive to try to think of himself first, but to change something so ingrained in his very being at this point was close to impossible. Besides, even though this was selfish, he didn't want to see the spirits to put again empty and sad expressions like those they put before sealing their powers.

If they were going back into the battlefield to protect him, then this whole kissing and power sealing thing would be meaningless.

"The second reason I reject your request is because there's really nothing I can teach you."

"Huh!?" Tohka tilted her head in confusion. "But you look awesome using those blades of yours. I can say that your skills with them are masterful."

"Tohka, your sword style and mine are like day and night. You have an overwhelming power that I don't have. You have an immense talent with the sword that I don't have. My fighting style is built and specialized to face opponents much more powerful than me. You learning something like that wouldn't make sense since you don't have to cover the same limitations as me. Besides, what my sword style is based on the most, and the only thing I surpass you on is combat experience, and that's something that can't be taught."

"But you beat that woman in one fell swoop using Sandalphon, something I couldn't do."

"That's because your power right now is limited. If you had been at your best, things would have been different. I only borrowed your power. In the end, I defeated her by imitating you. Also, I simply took advantage of her lowering her guard and hit her with everything I had."

Tohka's expression became melancholy. She understood his point. She really did. But still, she really wanted to be able to stand by Shidou's side even on the battlefield.

"Still..." She bowed again and put her hands together in front of her. "Please train me! I don't want to see you go to the battlefield alone! I don't want you to be alone again!"

The last words came out of Tohka's mouth without her even realizing it. Most likely by the influence of the occasional dreams of Shidou's former life.

However, that seemed to work in her favor, as it made Shidou think again.

Even he was able to realize after this time that he was important not only to Kotori, but also to Tohka, Yoshino, and perhaps, Kaguya and Yuzuru.

With another long sigh, Shidou finally gave his answer. If he would regret this decision, only time would tell.

"Fiiiine. I'll train you."

* * *

_Flashback end_

Shidou then remembered that that day of the week was one of the two days he and Tohka had agreed to train.

They didn't train every day because that could end up being stressful for her, and there was no deadline or anything like that. The training method Shidou chose was the same method he and Saber used to get Emiya Shirou in shape. That is to say, fighting and fighting with shinais in the little backyard until Tohka was exhausted. After all, the only way to gain fighting experience was doing exactly that, fighting.

In his case he chose that method for diferent reasons than Saber's. Arturia and Shirou were in the middle of a Holy Grail War, an event that would last at most a couple of weeks. Time was not a resource they had in excessive quantities, so she chose to teach him how to survive against superior opponents rather than teach him how to handle a sword properly.

That, and that because of King of Fakers' influence, the boy ended up choosing his two-sword style with Kanshou and Bakuya over Saber's more chivalrious and conventional style. He couldn't be blamed. That sword style was the most fitted for Emiya Shirou.

The reason Shidou had was that he couldn't really help Tohka much in her sword style beyond the basics. Therefore, he began to correct her mistakes during actual fights, such as letting herself be provoked by the enemy, which is what happened to her with Ellen, and not throwing herself at the enemy without at least a backup plan.

Besides, right now they were working on her to stop trusting too much on that she could overwhelm the enemy with her strength. That was vital now that if she was going to fight, it would almost certainly be with her power limited.

Returning to the current situation, Shidou's head began to spin as he saw the four girls arguing among themselves to see who he was going to spend the rest of the day with.

The scene actually looked calcified from an galgame, and he could almost see the three choices he had to choose from. Shidou's mind could not process the absurd situation he was in.

No, more than that, he knew that if he chose to spend time with one of the girls, the other two or three would be sad. Unable to choose an option that would lead to the path where all were happy, he was forced to choose the option that would cause less damage.

"SHIDOU, WHO ARE YOU CHOOSING?"

The four spirits turned to look at Shidou at once as they asked the million-dollar question... only to blink a few times as they looked at the place where Shidou was a few seconds ago now empty.

All four looked confused, and then began to look around. It was then that they saw the silhouette of Shidou turning the corner at the bottom of the street.

"He ran away!?" The four, and even Yoshinon, shouted in unison in surprise.

"You are not running away from me! Yuzuru, let's go after him!"

"Confirmation. Reine was really right that Shidou was indecisive."

The Yamai sisters dropped their bags with their academic materials and ran in the direction they had seen Shidou go.

"Shidou! How cowardly of you to run away! I'm not allowing you to flee without giving us an answer!" Tohka did not fall behind. In fact, she was running along with Kaguya and Yuzuru.

Yoshino simply let out a resigned sigh and returned to the Itsuka residence with the schoolbags of the four. She wasn't the athletic type, so she couldn't run at the same speed as them, and she was embarrassed to be seen running around. She preferred to wait in case Shidou came back.

Yes, indeed, Shidou chose the option of running away so that they would not quarrel and get along badly, even if it meant they being angry with him.

What he had not expected was they chasing after him, and that they were so quick despite having their powers sealed.

People who saw the scene must have thought they were filming a film or something. At first they saw a Shidou speeding by (without reinforcement), who put on a face that implied that someone wanted to kill him and went shouting things about E-rank luck.

Just after, they saw Tohka, Kaguya and Yuzuru passing by, also speeding and shouting things like "Don't run away coward!" "We will pursue you to the ends of the Tartaro!" and "Demand. You have to take responsibility!".

After a few skips, Shidou ended up arriving at the square next to the Tatsunami station on the west side of the Tenguu city.

Being the closest station to the Tenguu Arena, the place where concerts and live performances were held, it was a place that was normally crowded. The perfect place to lose his pursuers.

The golden-eyed boy mingled with the crowd and began to take random paths so they couldn't track him.

However, with his haste and his attention focused on the girls chasing him, he ended up bumping into a person. The person he stumbled up on was an older-looking man with grey hair and beard, wearing a black suit that looked quite expensive and white gloves.

It was not a typical crash of the animated series where the other person fell on his ass, but Shidou was still embarrassed by his own carelessness.

Right after the crash, the sound of something hitting the ground was heard. The boy noticed that the old man had dropped what looked like... the box of a video game?

Shidou decided to ignore how weird that was and picked it up to return it to the man.

"I'm so sorry, Sir. It was my oversight to be distracted. It seems that this fell-" But, he stopped speaking when he looked directly at the old man's face.

His expression turned into a deep frown when his golden eyes met the man's red eyes.

"What's with that face, boy? If you look at all the people you meet like that, the rate of heart attacks must have gone up quite a bit." The man, despite Shidou's dead serious expression, joked and even chuckled.

"Heh, as if something like that would scare you. Well? To what do I owe the pleasure of the Kaleidoscope himself coming to see me?"

"Straight to the point, huh?" The man did not even flinch when he saw that his identity was discovered almost instantly. "I see you haven't changed much as my apprentice described you, King of Fakers. Though, your name now is Itsuka Shidou, isn't it? What gave me away?"

"You should already know. You are on the blacklist of beings to be avoided at all costs that the Holy Grail provides to the summoned servants. Also, as part of the counter-force, it is obvious that I have knowledge of the five magicians that exist."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now, to answer your question, let's say this is just a whim. I wanted to visit my new source of entertainment. It's not every day a couple of heroic spirits end up in a situation as hilariously absurd as the one you and goldie got into without me having to lift a finger."

"Wait..." Shidou stopped the old man with an expression of skepticism. "Are you telling me that you had nothing to do with all this mess?"

The Old Man of the Jewels chuckled at that. "If we get technical, yes, I did have something to do with it. After all, those three families couldn't have created something like the Holy Grail without my help. However, if you mean that I used my magic to bring you and Gilgamesh into this paralel universe, then the answer is no. Besides, I can't use the Third True Magic, Heaven's Feel, so I couldn't have manipulated your souls to put them into physical bodies."

"Hmm..." Shidou hummed as he absorbed the information. "Then, if it wasn't you, how in he world did we end up in this situation?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say that demon trapped in the Holy Grail was the one to blame. It was likely a last desperate attempt to reincarnate. But, I will refrain from telling you more. Things won't be this funny if I explain everything to you."

Shidou simply rolled his eyes. "You just come here to say you're laughing at goldie and my expense, don't you?"

"Actually I came to give you a gift. Consider it a reward for making me laugh for so long. It's that game you have in your hands."

Upon hearing that, Shidou glanced at the box in his hands. By inspecting the cover of what seemed like a visual novel, he could not help but wide his eyes.

"What the f**k is this?"

The title of the game was visible at the bottom and said "Fate/Stay Night". And in the middle of the cover there were three girls he recognized instantly. At the center was Saber, posing with her silver armor, and at her sides were Rin and Sakura.

He quickly turned the box around and read the description. His eyebrow began to shake uncontrollably.

"The best thing you could think of for a gift was an adaptation of the Fifth War of the Holy Grail to a visual novel!? And not only that, but it's in eroge format with Saber, Rin and Sakura being the heroines!?"

Zelretch answered, barely suppressing the laughter. "Indeed. I made it exclusively for you. I even included the sex scenes without censorship. It will help you in your mission to build a harem of cute and powerful girls."

"WHAT!? No! Hell no! I'm not building any harem! I'm saving very powerful beings, who all happen to look like pretty girls of an age close to mine in this body... with unique and extravagant personalities... and to save them I need to make them fall in love with me... and kiss them..."

The words were dying when he himself realized the absurdity he was saying, and his eyes widened more and more as the blood drained from his face.

He bent down and grabbed his head with his hands. "He's right, damn it! That's the definition of a harem!"

The user of the Second True Magic could not stand it any longer and laughed. If the weird conversation was already starting to draw attention, that definitely made everyone around them start looking at both like they were a couple of mental deviants.

When The Old Man of the Jewels stopped laughing, he looked at his pocket watch before resuming the conversation.

"Oh, it seems we're out of time. I guess it's time to take my leave. I'll be sure to give your former master your regards. You also give my regards to goldie and his new partner."

That got the King of Fakers out of his existential crisis. "Former master? You mean Rin? No, wait, that's not important now. You and I have a lot to talk about. Can't you stay a little longer?"

"You seem to have misunderstood me. I am not the one who has run out of time, but you."

"Huh?"

The Wizard Marshall didn't have to answer the question when they heard some female voices.

"There you are! Come here and answer our question, Shidou!"

"Found. There is no escape, Shidou."

"Kuku. Be a good boy and let us drag you to our secret base!"

"Shit! They found me!"

Without paying attention to the fact that the being he had been talking with had vanished, he took the visual novel's box and ran in the opposite direction to the girls.

* * *

"I... I'm... home..."

Shidou came in half tripping through the door as he tried to catch his breath. It was already seven o'clock, and he had to start making dinner quickly.

The chase lasted for another hour, until the girls got tired and finally decided to go home. To calm down Tohka, Kaguya and Yuzuru a bit, he promised to prepare a special dinner, and it seemed to work.

However, he had to hurry. They wouldn't take long to shower and change before coming.

"You're late, Shidou."

Kotori was waiting for him there in the hall. Although her tone indicated some annoyance, her expression remained neutral.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'll start making dinner immediately."

After saying that, he went into the kitchen, and by the sound of footsteps behind him, his little sister followed him in silence.

A few minutes of silence passed as Shidou prepared the ingredients and utensils for cooking the dinner. The atmosphere felt heavy, and from Kotori's complicated expression, it seemed that she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words.

"Shidou, did something happen?" That's what she finally said.

Her brother let out a sigh. Since the incident on the school trip, she had been a little strange around him. It was as if she was more worried about him than usual. Perhaps it was because since that day more strands of his hair had turned white

"Nothing in particular. I just was unable to make a choice and ended up running away."

Kotori watched him quietly for a few seconds. Normally she would scold him for doing something that might upset the spirits, but this was a special case.

Until now, with only Tohka and Yoshino, Shidou could hang out with each of them without any conflict. However, now that there were also Kaguya and Yuzuru, such situations where Shidou would have to choose which of the spirits to spend time with would begin to happen quite often.

"You know that running away from the problem will only delay it, right?"

"I know. I'm more than aware of that..." That was one of the few times she saw her Onii-chan with such a complicated expression. He always kept a calm front in the face of any adversity.

That made Kotori alert.

"I'm beginning to think... that I may not be able to make them happy. Someone like me who is oblivious to the concept of love... will not be able to reciprocate their feelings..."

Hearing that, Kotori's expression softened. To think her dense Onii-chan would have such an internal debate.

No, after her talk with Mana, she came to discern the real problem of her brother's density. It wasn't that he was just oblivious to the girls' feelings for him. That was at first, but by now, there was no way he wouldn't realize that Tohka and Yoshino were in love with him.

Shidou knew deep down that the spirits really loved him. The fact that he was able to seal their spiritual powers was irrefutable proof. What was happening was that he subconsciously rejected that fact and denied it, convincing himself that no one would love someone like him.

Kotori had asked Reine about this type of behavior, and her answer was that they were clear symptoms of survivor guilt. Something that doesn't add up. When she and her parents went to adopt Shidou at the orphanage, what they told her parents was that his mother had abandoned him at an early age.

However, she never managed to find a person who might have been Shidou's mother, even pulling the strings taking advantage of her position in Ratatoskr. And there was also the fact that her brother never once said a word about his mother. In fact, if it weren't for Kotori's parents telling him, he wouldn't know he was abandoned.

That pointed to him having amnesia, something rare for such a young child. What she and Reine could theorize was that her Onii-chan experienced a really traumatic event that caused the void in his personality and his lack of memories of his biological family. That theory would fit with the fact that he didn't remember Mana, although it still didn't explain that impossible photo that Mana had.

And there were these strange dreams that she had from time to time since her spiritual power was sealed again.

She had not only dreamed of that man on the hill of swords. She also dreamed of a child who loocked a lot like Shidou, walking alone through a landscape that could only be described as hell.

It was much worse than the fire five in the residential district years ago. The kid was forced to walk through the rubble, seeing corpses all over the place and hearing desesperate cries from people asking for help.

She would think that was Shidou's past before arriving at the orphanage, were it not because in that same dream he was saved and subsequently adopted by a person she had not seen in her life. The man's face was almost indistinguishable in the dream, as if that particular detail had been lost, but she knew that that was not her father.

All this looked like pieces of a huge and complicated puzzle. One that she didn't even know where to start to solve.

But she put those thoughts aside. Shidou was Shidou, her beloved Onii-chan. No matter how he ended up like this, she'd keep trying to change him.

Without saying anything, Kotori approached her brother from behind and hugged him. He stopped doing what he was doing out of surprise, but he did not resist.

"Dummy. I told you, didn't I? It doesn't matter if you're not perfect. You're the person we love. The dense good-hearted Onii-chan who clumsily strives to make us happy, and nothing's gonna change that."

She stuck her face in his back so her brother wouldn't see how red was her face. After a few moments, Shidou showed a smile, although his cheeks were also somewhat flushed.

"Thank you, Kotori. I needed it."

The hug broke, with the two of them returning to their usual attitude.

"By the way, Shidou, what is this box you brought with you?" Kotori asked as she looked at the box his brother had left on the dining table.

At that moment, Shidou froze like a deer before the lights. Kotori glanced at the box more closely, then turned to look at her brother with a mischivious smile.

"Don't tell me, you liked 'Fall in love; My little Shidou' so much that you ended up buying an eroge. I don't know whether to praise you for your efforts to improve in the art of picking up girls, or call you a pervert for bringing home something like this. Although, I must admit I've never heard of this visual novel in my life, nor have I heard of this 'Kaleidoscope industries'. Where did you get this?"

Shidou turned his neck slowly to look at his sister. His face was a mask without emotions, but the drops of sweat falling from his forehead gave him away.

"It's an exclusive special edition. An acquaintance of mine decided to give it to me as a joke. And no, I don't like dating simulators."

"Is that so? And I thought you would be happy when I told you that the continuation of 'Fall in love; My little Shidou' is almost finished. But, seeing as you now have this 'Fate/stay night', I guess that won't be necessary."

Shidou suffered a body spasm when he heard the title of the game that traumatized him, making the pan almost fall out of his hand.

That game would have given him nightmares, were it not for the fact that he reached a point in his previous life where he didn't even flinch when dreaming of that hell. At that time there was no medicine or anything that could help him sleep at night, so he had no choice but to get used to it.

That was one of the reasons why seeing a corpse did not produce any kind of reaction from him.

Having recovered, Shidou tried to change the subject. "Kotori, I've wanted to ask you something for a while. Do you know anything about Mana's whereabouts?"

This time it was Kotori's turn to freeze. She looked away and shrugged.

"Who knows? The last time we heard from her was that she had disappeared from the hospital..." She began to laugh uncomfortably. Even she herself didn't seem to believe that herself.

Her laughter was cut off by the sound of Shidou turning off the stove. He then turned to look at her with his eyes narrowed. His sister for a moment had the feeling of having several spotlights pointed at her face, as in the interrogations from the movies.

"Is that so? And what about that golden beam that brought down the aircraft that was attacking Fraxinus?"

"That? That was Fraxinus' main canyon, Mistletainn." Kotori began to sweat under pressure.

"Kotori, I would recognize that attack wherever I saw it. That was caused by a noble phantasm, one I know very well. And there is only one other person besides me who possesses that noble phantasm." There was no way he would not recognize the 'beam of light that burns all it touches' that all the swords that elect the king possess.

Kotori finally surrendered. "Haah... Fine, I'll admit it. We got Mana out of the hospital and brought her to Fraxinus. Are you happy now?"

Shidou raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand why you chose to keep that from me. I am glad that she no longer belongs to that unpleasant enterprise. Now she can begin to heal her body..."

"Wait..." Kotori looked at her brother in surprise. "Did you know that she worked for DEM and that her body was in a deplorable state because of the adjustments she suffered?"

"Yes. She told me the day we met as I accompanied her back to her residence at the JSDF base."

Kotori palmed her face. "And I was worrying about keeping it from you... Give me back all my time invested in making sure that all matters about her were handled in secret."

_**"UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU~"**_

The conversation was abruptly cut off by a shrill alarm. It was the spacequake alarm.

"It seems it's time to work... Prepare yourself, Shidou. Fraxinus will not be long in picking us up."

Shidou took one last look at the half-baked dinner. "What a waste..."

* * *

I found myself again walking throught the square where the Tenguu Arena was located, only this time it wasn't crowded, and instead of a dead apostle ancestor, I was to meet a spirit.

Seeing how people had left everything as it was and fled to the shelter, the landscape could well be from a film about a zombie apocalypse, or rather, the attack of a dead apostle considering the huge crater in the middle of the square.

It was a rather strange coincidence that a spacequake happened at the place where I and the girls had been just a few hours ago.

Although the spirit could not be seen anywhere near where the explosion had occurred, it didn't take me long to know where she was. I didn't even need Fraxinus' crew to locate her.

Detecting magical energy has never been one of my strengths. I have always been better at detecting anomalies, things that weren't 'right'. However, it was difficult not to realize the enormous amount of magical energy coming out of the Tenguu Arena.

Whoever this spirit was, either she didn't matter in the least the AST detecting her, or she was really crying out to be found.

Making my way between all the garbage and the things that were on the floor, I entered the interior stage. The irony of this was that she was actually singing.

There, in the middle of the careless stage and with instruments lying on the floor, probably left behind by the band that was playing just before the alarm sounded, was a girl singing.

With little reinforcement in my eyes so I could see better from the darkness I could see her features. She had long bluish purple hair in a hime cut, while the color of her eyes is light indigo. She had a rather 'developed' body and her astral dress was mostly yellow with blue and white ruffles covering some parts of her dress.

Her song was quiet, with some of the parts in English, and had a similar tone to a lullaby. What struck me most was that her voice was imbued with magical energy, making it more pleasant to hear.

_"Don't tell me it's... 'Diva'...!?"_

Kotori's voice through the intercom made me refocus on what I have to do.

"Is that the code name for this spirit?" I asked, though I could certainly see the reason behind the name.

In fact, the only code name I thought was a little off was Tohka's. Perhaps it's because at the time I lived my former life princesses did not wear armor or wield swords, and were treated as nothing but bargaining chips between kingdoms.

_"Yes... she is a spirit that has only been confirmed to appear once about half a year ago. Although her existence has been recorded in the database provisionally, almost all the detailed information about her character and the nature of her abilities and her angel is non-existent. Please be careful when trying to make contact with her." _

"Understood."

I tried to approach without attracting her attention, but it was simply impossible. I guess my E-rank luck had something to do with it as well.

The thing is, the moment I moved my leg, I kicked a can that had been next to my foot while Kotori was talking to me.

The girl heard the noise and stopped singing. Through the intercom I could hear the sound of a hand crashing into a face.

_"I forgot to consider your disastrous luck..."_

I couldn't pay more attention to my sister as the girl on stage looked at the arena and spoke.

"Was there a spectator here? I thought there was no one there just a moment ago..." Her tone was kind and carefree. With all the spotlights pointing at her, she seemed unable to distinguish my figure in the dark.

"Where are you? I'm getting tired of being alone too. Would you like to have a chat if it's okay with you?"

She offered me an invitation to approach her. That surprised me. I was already waiting for her to say something like "I can't leave any witnesses alive," and start raining rays of magical energy on me.

"Hn... it seems that she is a spirit who will not attack you without mercy. We will accept her offer. Try to go somewhere where you can exchange a conversation directly. But first of all, let us choose your line while you approach."

I nodded and began to silently climb the stairs to the stage.

For some reason, I had a bad feeling about this. A peaceful spirit was not uncommon, Yoshino was a good example of that.

In fact, I still found it very strange that these supposedly inhuman and otherworldly beings have such human thoughts and behavior.

The thing is, I don't know if it was because of everything that happened today, but I had a feeling that things just weren't going to go well. And worst of all, the times I've had this feeling, soon after I found stumbled up on a horde of ghouls or something like that.

_"Shidou, it's option 2. Praise her singing."_

I heard the instruction just as I was on stage. I deactivated the reinforcement in my eyes as it was no longer necessary, and I let my footsteps be heard for her to notice my presence.

She quickly turned around. "Ahh, you bother to come here? Good night, I'm..."

Her presentation was left unfinished. The moment our eyes met, her smile vanished, and her expression took a one hundred and eighty degrees turn. The look on her face reminded me of the look on Gilgamesh's face the first time he saw me project copies of his precious treasures.

I suppressed my urge to raise an eyebrow and proceeded to do as Kotori told me.

"Good night. I didn't mean to peek, but I couldn't help but come to hear your song. It was very beautiful..." That was my honest opinion, and that came from someone who didn't pay much attention to the music world.

If I already felt that something was off, my thoughts were confirmed when I heard an alarm through the earpiece.

_"This is...! Her level of affection, her mood, her mental state... all the parameters are falling fast! What does this mean!? Shidou, is your fly unzipped!?"_

"Of course not. I have a shitty luck, but not to that degree." I replied in a mixture of whispering and grunting.

_"We have no choice! Try option 1! Praise her for her looks!"_

This time I did nothing. I remained silent, facing her cold stare with my emotionless mask. I knew no matter how much I praised her, this wouldn't change.

_"Shidou? What are you doing!? Say something!"_

"It's useless. Looks like we were wrong, Kotori. Judging by the killing intent that she releases, it seems she doesn't like me at all."

_"What!? It can't be... But, we also detected that the only thing she feels for you is disgust..."_

It seemed that she would attack at any moment. I activated my magical circuits and started to reinforce my body subtly in preparation. The blueprints of Kanshou and Bakuya were already in my mind, ready to come to existence at any moment.

But before she attacked me, she spoke. "You... You're the jerk who was talking to the old pervert, and the one who was chased by those three cute girls... unforgivable..."

"Eh?" My face at the time must have been a poem.

Aside from the fact that she had just called the user of the Kaleidoscope an old pervert, although she was right, how the hell did she know that?

Had she been there? But that doesn't make sense! If there was a spacequake, that meant she had just come into this world, right?

_"She saw you!? And who's that old pervert she's talking about!?" Kotori had a similar reaction to mine. "No. Forget that last question. This is really bad! Shidou, try to clear up the misunderstanding!"_

"Look, that's not what you think..."

"Don't talk to me!" She immediately interrupted me. "It's disgusting. All men are the same. Repulsive beasts with no intelligence. Your existence is annoying. _Get out of my sight!_"

Her last shout was accompanied by an enormous amount of spiritual energy. What could be described as a 'wall of sound' slammed into my body.

However, it wasn't powerful enough to break through my C-rank magical resistance. The sound waves bounced off and dispersed harmlessly at the moment they hit me.

The girl's face twisted into a mixture of surprise and disgust. "Why didn't it work? Why don't you disappear? Why don't you die?"

By this point, if circumstances were different, I would have likely already crossed the distance between the two and knocked her out with a blow to the head with Kanshou's hilt. Especially now that I didn't have to worry about hiding my magecraft.

But I decided to give her another chance and try to talk to her before using a more radical method.

"Hey, I don't know what your problem is with men, but putting us all in the same bag is a little unfair, don't you think?"

I don't like magi, but I don't try to kill them every time I see one. I did it when they gave me real reasons to do it, what was most of the time.

Her face cracked even more. "Tsk. What would you know? None that I have known is different. None of them believed me or stood by my side... And why do I have to tell you anything?"

She took breath to attack again, but was interrupted when the roof literally exploded.

We both raised our heads to look at the hole in the ceiling through which the moonlight was now filtered. Several people came in dressed in mechanical armors. Needless to say, they were members of the AST.

However, something seemed strange to me. Several of them had CR-Units of a different design than the AST standard.

_"Looks like we're out of time... Shidou, get out of there. There is no need for unnecessary battles. We will discuss the details about 'Diva' as soon as you return."_

I nodded speechlessly and set out to jump into the darkness under the stage, but stopped to see something strange out of the corner of my eye.

'Diva' was now staring at the members of the AST, having completely forgotten my existence. The strange thing was that, instead of showing anger or fear towards the people who came to kill her, as was the case with Tohka and Yoshino, her expression was of... excitement?

"Well, well! Isn't it nice~ It's really wonderful. It really is, speaking of an audience, this should be how it is! Ahh, let me see... especially..."

What happens with that radical change of mood? Is she bipolar? I've never stopped to think of my appearance, but I am really that unsightly?

No, that's not the point. This is really wrong! She's acting all cheerful and happy with the people who came here with the sole intention of killing her!

She practically disappeared from everyone's sight, at least for those without eyes trained to follow the speed of a low-ranking servant, and reappeared behind Origami.

That by the way, it seems her house arrest is finally over. That complicated things for me.

The next thing 'Diva' did was whisper something to my classmate's ear, making her feel a chill before trying to cut her with her laser sword.

"Tsk." I found myself clicking my tongue. My priority was to get out of here so as not to draw attention to myself, but I couldn't leave and let this spirit be killed for her apparent lack of sense of danger.

For the moment, her astral dress seemed to be able to completely repel Origami's attacks, but things will not be the same if they attack her all at once.

"Trace, on."

I projected my black bow on my left hand and a nameless E-rank noble phantasm on my right.

However, before I placed the handle of the sword on the bowstring, I felt a killing intent coming from my right side. I immediately placed the nameless sword in the path of the lightsaber that came to cut my neck.

My gaze met that of one of the women wearing a different CR-Unit. She was a redhead, and her sharp eyes gave the feeling of looking at a fox.

"Hoh? Looks like you weren't just rumors. I was ordered to avoid you for a few days, but how about we prove it's true you beat 'Adeptus 1'?"

After proclaiming that, she put more strength into her sword to break the struggle. I merely frowned at the bit of information she gave me.

I moved my wrist and positioned the nameless sword in such a way that her lightsaber slid through the blade. As she was putting all her weight into the swing, she couldn't react in time before her weapon hit the ground.

That gave me an opening, which I didn't take a second to capitalize on. Before she realized it, my reinforced foot had already hit her exposed chest.

Without paying attention to how the woman hit the wall in the background, I proceeded to continue what I was doing before she interrupted me. I loaded the nameless sword into the bow, altered it to become more aerodynamic and poured into it enough magical energy to turn it into a broken phantasm.

I released the bowstring, and the 'arrow' past between the members of the AST and hit the roof. The resulting explosion was not very flashy, but accomplished its objective.

The debris from the roof fell on the members of the AST, forcing them to focus their attention on protecting themselves.

My eyes met with Diva's. Her expression of disgust had written 'no one asked for your help', but she escaped anyway.

With my goal accomplished, I let my bow fade and proceeded to leave the building for Fraxinus to pick me up.

That night was going to be pretty long.

* * *

**And that's all for now. I don't know if I managet to get a laught out of you, but I certainly was laughing my ass of while I was writing this chapter. Kaguya's troll with the Unlimited Blade Works, Shidou using Joseph Joestar's noble phantasm, 'Nigerundayo', and of course, Zelretch finally makes his appearance.**

**Of course Zelretch was going to show up. This wouldn't be a Fate crossover if the old vampire didn't make his appearance. That would be like a Fifth Holy Grail War without Kirei saying "Yorokobe shonen". But, as I said some time ago, the "Zelretch did it" card to explain how someone got to another universe is overused. Therefore, the reason why King of Fakers and Gilgamesh is arrived here is another. Zelretch himself gave you a clue, just as Westtcot gave you another clue about the past of this Shidou at the beginning of this chapter.**

**The scene with Zelretch, apart from the comedy, aims to start penetrating King of Fakers' dense head, and begin to admit that his life has changed. Leaving aside the fact that his life now could be described as a romantic comedy, it is from now on that he is beginning to realize that his life is important to other people. That his life now has a meaning. So, yes, it's time for the spirits to start fixing the distorted mind of the person who saved them.**

**And, well, the fact that Zelretch gave him a copy of the 'Fate/Stay Night' visual novel is not just a joke of the moment. Believe me, as Zelretch himself tells Shidou, that is going to be relevant in the future.**

**As always, I would like to know your opinion on the chapter. Any constructive review is welcome.**

**As for my next update, it's probably from my other story, "Madness empire of blades". I'm already finishing the final exams, which means the updates will be quicker. I can't promise weekly updates because that depends on a lot of factors, but well, I'm slowly getting to certain chapters of this story that I really want to write.**

**Without further ado, I bid you farewell for now. Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 10: A new waifu is born?

**I'm here again, people! Yeah, I know it's been a month, but in this time I also updated my other story, "Madness empire of blades". The previous chapter had a pretty positive response, leaving aside some toxic reviews, and that made me very happy. It was a chapter I had wanted to write almost since I started writing this story, and I really did put much work into it.**

**And well, this story passed the 300 favs and 400 follows barrier. I really appreciate the support for this story.**

**As for the reviews, lately I usually answer them directly by PM, aside from that annoying bug that don't allows to see the reviews. Although, the highlight was the theme of the appearance of Zelretch. Some did not care that the ancestor came to bring a bit of chaos to history, while others more purists held me to the fact that the canon Zelretch is not a troll.**

**Although I recently finished reading the visual novel of Fate/Stay Night, Zelretch is a character that is more relevant in Tsukihime and Melty Blood. And my knowledge of those works is rather sparse, excluding the dead apostles' stuff as I investigated it when I wrote my first story.**

**By the way, two good people named Psicho and dandragon mc offered to correct the grammar mistakes and ****misstranslations**** of my first story "King of Fakers: Saving Them All". At the moment the first two chapters are the only ones edited, but believe me that now is much more enjoyable to read. I thank you two very much for your work.**

**Going back to the previous topic, yes, I was aware that Zelretch is not a troll when I wrote the scene. But I didn't really make him a total troll like most stories on this site. It was rather a middle ground, not a prankster like Merlin, but not completely serious without a sense of humor, as the scene was practically a reference to "Carnival Phantasm". And well, this Zelretch still hasn't caused any trouble since he wasn't the one who sent King of Fakers and the King of Heroes to this universe, and he hasn't gone around giving class cards to anyone who has a modicum of plot relevance.**

**And like I said, the visual novel that King of Fakers received is not a troll. That's Zelretch helping ****Shidou and Gilgamesh**** in his own way for when the cat is out of the bag. That takes me to the other point, the visual novel.**

**My original intention was for this Shidou to play the Heaven's Feel route, so that he would start thinking about the debate of if the worst comes to pass, who would he choose to save? The spirits or everyone else? The spirits playing the novel was ****also**** planned, but I didn't expect so many reviews asking for scenes with them playing the novel. So yes, in this chapter you will have the first one.**

**But, enough of me talking. Let the chapter begin!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, the Fate Franchise or Date a Live.**

* * *

The atmosphere in the changing rooms of the AST was filled with anxiety and negative emotions in general.

They had returned an hour ago from their failed attempt to eliminate the spirit with the code name "Diva". The mission ended up being a failure, even with the unexpected increase in their numbers.

Due to a sudden collapse on the stage's roof, the spirit took advantage of the distraction and escaped. No one saw her return to the "void", but as her spiritual signature had disappeared on the radar, they assumed that had been the case.

Although they attributed the collapse to the power of the spirit, Origami knew better who caused it.

Itsuka Shidou, the most important person for Origami, was already there, dangerously close to the spirit, when they stormed onto the stage at Tenguu Arena.

At this point, that didn't surprise her. It was not the first time he had been found doing something as suicidal as approaching to talk to spirits. He even fought to defend them, something the albino girl experienced firsthand.

She still could not glimpse the reasons behind his actions, and there was also the enigma of his mysterious powers.

When she asked him if he was human, his answer was yes. Origami couldn't discern any signs that he was lying, but it was obvious that wasn't the whole truth.

No human could make swords out of nowhere, run through the rooftops at a speed not far below hers using the propellers of the "White Licorice", or deflect high-caliber enhanced bullets with a sword.

However, he can't be a wizard either. Even if one were to ignore the fact that a human being needs the help of a realizer to manipulate mana, a personal territory, despite being able to "make thoughts come true", it could never manifest a physical objects.

She had fought Shidou, and could safely say that the swords he apparently created using some kind of magic were very real. They weren't some sort of illusion or optical trick.

But, leaving that mystery aside, Origami's gaze focused on a redheaded woman with sharp eyes gave the sensation of looking at a fox.

Her name was Jessica, and she was the person in charge of the "adeptus" that DEM had assigned as the AST's "support force".

Things hadn't started so well. That diabolical enterprise had pulled the strings for those first-class wizards to be assigned under the orders of Captain Ryouko to carry out a secret special mission. And if that wasn't enough, they had permission to disobey orders at their discretion. That, with the fact that they did not stop looking down at them becouse they hadn't been able to eliminate any spirit yet, they did not get along very well.

If Origami already sensed that that company was up to no good, her suspicions only increased when she saw Jessica attack Shidou the moment she saw him.

To her relief, she did not have to disengage from her fight with "Diva" to stop her. Shidou knocked her aside with the same ease that someone shakes the dust off their clothes.

In fact, now that she thought about it, it was terrifying how he casualy knocked out one of the most powerful wizards according to DEM's ranking. It was really fortunate that the others were totally focused on defeating "Diva" and had not seen it.

Once the fatigue of taking off the CR-unit went away, Origami went with a determined expression to where Jessica was talking to her companions.

"What are you up to?"

The woman turned to hear her and raised an eyebrow with confusion that Origami knew was fake.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. Why did you attack Shidou?"

"Oh, so you saw me?"

"Answer me quickly."

Before Origami's piercing gaze, Jessica shrugged. "I went to warn him to evacuate but he got rough. If that's all you wanted to say, get lost. We're busy."

That was an obvious lie. She saw how Shidou just fought back. If he had wanted to attack, she wouldn't have received just a bruise and a dent in her CR-unit. The "White Licorice" currently in repairs could attest to it.

However, without any evidence she could not accuse her. The woman could just say that the wound was received while fighting the spirit.

But, that did not stop Origami from trying to get information out of her.

"Does it have to do with that special mision you were assigned to?"

Bingo. Origami knew that she had hit the nail in the head by seeing the expression of Jessica and her companions waver for a moment.

"Tsk." The woman clicked her tongue in annoyance, and grabbed Origami from her bangs. "Bitch... Your days will be numbered if you try to be clever with me.

After saying that, the woman rudely pushed Origami away, who fell to the ground on her ass, and set out to leave the changing room with her companions.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Ryouko approached upon noticing the disturbance, but Jessica pretended not to hear her and kept walking down the aisle.

"Are you okay, Origami?"

"I'm fine..."

As she answered, Origami didn't stop glaring holes in the red-haired wizard's back.

* * *

"Yawn~"

For once in a long time I yawned with drowsiness.

It seems that the energy drink I drank before I left home hasn't taken effect yet.

It was the morning after my encounter with "Diva", and I was walking at a fast pace through the empty streets of Tenguu City. It was Saturday, so it was no wonder there was not a single soul on the streets at 7:55 am.

The reason I was out of my house at this hour and sleepy is a story that starts yesterday when 'Fraxinus' picked me up after fleeing Tenguu Arena's stage.

With me already present, a meeting to try to figure out the reasons for Diva's weird behavior started. We came to no definite conclusion, other than she having an extreme aversion to men, which is disturbing. But, Kotori told me that she has an emergency plan if the worst were to happen.

The biggest enigma was that she saw me talking to the Old Man of the Jewels that before the spacequake take place.

A spacequake is supposed to occur when a spirit crosses from the "void" to this existential plane. But, if she saw me talking to Zelretch, that means she was already at the place at least an hour before the explosion.

Something here didn't add up. I knew from experience that a spirit can cause a spatial earthquake at will. I saw Kurumi do it a few months ago, and I was forced to break her concentration so that the school building would cease to exist with all the people inside.

However, what is the point of causing a spacequake in that place and at that time? If she had already appeared "silently" in this world, why would she want to cause a commotion and make the AST know her location?

If she had wanted to kill everyone present, it would have been best to use her powers. That wouldn't set off the alarm and wouldn't give the people time to evacuate the area.

Besides, she didn't seem to have a hatred for humans, or at least non-men.

Anyway. The thing is, the meeting lasted until eleven o'clock at night. When I got home, I had to get back to making dinner quickly because at that point the stomachs of the spirits were making sounds that would have nothing to envy to the roar of a dragon.

Dinner wasn't enough to alleviate the anger that had been accumulating since my "tactical retreat" that afternoon, so I was forced to play video games and watch TV shows until dawn.

Because the walls of the apartment for spirits were soundproof, we didn't have to worry about bothering the neighbors. Before we knew it, it was five o'clock in the morning already.

I decided that today for once I wouldn't do my morning routine. It was Saturday, the girls wouldn't get up soon, and Kotori was going to sleep in 'Fraxinus' for work, so I wouldn't have to wake up early to make breakfast.

For once, I was going to sleep until almost lunch time... or that was the original plan.

At 7:45 a.m, an alarm that I had programmed in my mobile phone rang. That was very weird since my body was used to waking up around 5:00 am, so I never saw the need to set an alarm. If I slept late, it was because my body really needed it.

Then, to my horror, I remembered the promise I made to the Ai-Mai-Mii trio that I would go to the first Tenou Festival committee meeting. And that meeting was today at 8:00 a.m...

I set the alarm before the whole "Diva" thing happened, so it was a simple reminder not to forget that I had to attend the meeting, thinking that I would get up to do my usual morning routine.

I had about 15 minutes to take a shower, get dressed, have some breakfast, leave breakfast ready for when the girls woke up and run to the meeting.

Luckily, Kotori wasn't in the house, because with all the noise I made running back and forth, I probably would have woken her up.

And here I am now, walking to the meeting with less than three hours of sleep. There were less than three minutes left for the meeting to begin, but at the pace I was walking I would be on time.

As you can understand, I didn't spend much time getting presentable. It's not like I'm going to a wedding, but with my clothes and my hair all scruffy, I certainly wasn't going to make a good impression.

I decided to wear sunglasses for the first time, mostly to hide the dark circles in my eyes so when people saw me, they wouldn't think I was a zombie.

Sleeping a few hours wasn't a problem for me. In my previous life I was used to spending entire days awake tracking and fighting dead apostles. However, those were life-or-death situations where my body was bursting with adrenaline.

Going to a meeting where there wasn't much I could contribute wasn't such a situation. The only reason I promised to go was because Ai and her friends had other things to do about the festival, and someone had to go represent our school, if only to warm up the chair during the meeting.

However, I did not take into account that the sunglasses, combined with my hair that was slowly turning white, made me look like a delinquent instead of a zombie.

"Hey, you're too close to Shidou. Get some distance!"

"You're the one who should get some distance. Even Shidou has said that you stink."

"W-what did you say?!"

And there were also these two. Clinging to my right arm was Tohka, and clinging to my left was Origami.

They both decided to accompany me to the meeting yesterday, and apparently Tohka also set a few alarms to make sure of it. But, unlike me, she didn't seem sleepless.a

I tried to ignore the voices and kept walking at a brisk pace, almost dragging them. I was going to get a headache at this rate.

The two stopped arguing when we finally got to the front of the school assigned to the meeting. In fact, I couldn't help but stop to observe the place.

We passed a pretty impressive stone wall to enter the Rindouji All-Girls Private School. At the end of a paved road that would not be out of place in Rome during my previous life, was the main building, which looked like a castle.

This school was not only exclusively for girls, but most of the girls who attended came from wealthy families.

In short, I had not set foot here in my life, and I already felt out of place in this rich and pompous atmosphere.

"Ohh... Shidou, this is pretty awesome. Is this a school too?" Tohka asked me after looking amazed at the place.

"It's more pompous than the average, but yes, this is a school. Let's get ourselves registered first. We still have a couple of minutes to get there on time."

"OK!"

While Tohka responded with vigor, Origami simply nodded in silence.

We showed our student IDs to the security guard, who stared at me from head to toe with squinted eyes, but made no comment and let us in.

As we walked around the campus, almost all of the students we met stared at us and began to whisper to each other without bothering to disguise it. And there were not a few of them. Despite being on a Saturday, the campus was quite crowded. They were probably working on preparations for the festival or club activities.

I ignored them just like Tohka and Origami did, although it was still uncomfortable to attract so much attention. Seriously, I should start thinking about buying hair dye.

"We're here..."

We stopped in front of a double door that above had a sign that said "Conference Room 2". I knocked, but there was no answer from the other side.

Weird. There was still one minute for the meeting to begin, and I didn't hear many voices from the other side. I I could only hear a girl's voice throught the door, and I had the feeling that I heard that voice somewhere.

"I'm going in then."

Raising my voice to be heard, I opened the door and found a rather weird scene.

A group of girls dressed in blue sailor uniforms were forming a hallway in front of the door. At the end of the hallway was a girl talking with her back to me in a tone that anyone would think she was pretending to be an empress or something like that.

For an age close to mine, her body was quite developed, and her long violet hair was falling down her back. That figure actually looked familiar to me...

"... I am the president of the committee for the Tenou festival of the Rindouji All-Girls Private School, Izayoi Miku."

My left eyebrow rose above the sunglasses. Were it not for her mention of the festival, I would be inclined to think that I entered the wrong room.

The room remained in a sepulchral silence. The looks of everyone in the room other than the girls from the Rindouji Academy were on me.

"Err..." I couldn't think of anything to say in this situation.

When the girls in the sailor's uniform noticed my presence, they all turned to look at me at the same time with very angry faces.

"How dare you ruin Onee-sama's introduction?!"

"Where did this delinquent come from?!"

"Surely he has come to try to do something pervert to Miku-sama!"

"Get lost, you dirty pervert!"

They all started insulting me. All of that came in one ear and came out the other, but the noise made all my sleepiness go away.

Still, how the hell did they come to that conclusion? They looked like a bunch of devotees defending their king's honor. Was this girl named Izayoi Miku a celebrity or something?

I had to do something, because from the look full of killiing intent that Origami and Tohka behind me were giving to the girls, this wasn't going to end well.

Luckily, the one who I assumed was the "leader" of the group placated them before I was forced to release murderous int- ehem, using drastic methods to stop them.

"Come on girls, you don't need to attack him like that. He's not worth your time. Besides, he has a reason to be here, doesn't he?"

From her utterly dismissive tone towards me, I could see that her intention wasn't to help me. She simply wanted to maintain the impeccable reputation of Rindouji Academy.

I was going to introduce myself to clear up the misunderstanding, but I stopped to see the face of the girl named Izayoi Miku. She was definitely a beautiful girl with silver eyes, but that's not what alarmed me.

She was, without a doubt, the spirit with the code name "Diva".

At my side, although it was difficult to discern, Origami also stared at her astonished, confirming it even more.

"Ehem." However, I forced myself out of trance before worsening the situation. "My name is Itsuka Shidou. I and my companions come on behalf of the committee for the Tenou festival of the Raizen Academy."

If she recognized me, she didn't show any reaction. Maybe she decided to ignore me on purpose.

The meeting preceded without further incident, and as soon as it was over, I told Tohka to go home and called my sister.

* * *

"Shidou isn't here yet?" Kaguya breathed a heavy sigh as she watched the clock in the dining room. "At least the breakfast he left us was as delicious as always."

It was eleven o'clock, the Yamai sisters and Yoshino had just woken up. When they went to the Itsuka residence, they found nobody in, and there was a note in the fridge that said that the breakfast kept in the fridge and prepared to be heated in the microwave and that Shidou had to attend a meeting that morning.

"Giggle. Kaguya looks like a wife waiting for her husband to return from work."

Kaguya's cheeks blushed at Yuzuru's comment. "H-hey! You also want to continue with what we were doing yesterday, don't you, Yuzuru?"

"Agree. Maybe we should have accompanied him to the meeting. With the intellaect of the Yamai sisters, the meeting would have ended much earlier."

Across the room, Yoshino was sitting on the couch watching TV, but she turned it off with the remote.

"It's not the same..."

Even if it was one of her favorite shows, it wasn't the same to see it only with Yoshinon's company. That became clear to her after yesterday seeing the first two seasons of the show together with Shidou.

With her attention no longer focused on the TV, she noticed something that was beside her partially buried under cushions.

When she pulled the cushions away, the blue-haired girl found a box that looked like a video game.

"_Fate/Stay Night?... _What is this...?"

"Oya? Looking at the cover, this is not a game Kotori-chan would buy. But... Shidou-kun buying a game? That's certainly unexpected."

What the puppet in Yoshino's left hand said caught the attention of Kaguya and Yuzuru. The two sisters approached the shy girl with curiosity.

"Let us see, Yoshino-chan."

She gave Kaguya the box, and this one and Yuzuru inspected it closely.

"Hey, Yuzuru. This appears to have been on sale recently, but I don't recall seeing it in the game catalog."

"Confused. I also don't remember seeing any games from a company called 'Kaleidoscope Industries'."

"And... what about... we play it to see... what kind of game... Shidou likes?"

The daughters of the hurricanes widened their eyes after hearing Yoshino's proposal. "That's a very good idea, Yoshino-chan! We have to find out why Shidou bought a game with cute girls on the cover having us, the Yamai, already."

"Worry. This game is for PC only, and we only have video consoles."

The mood of the two sank at that moment, but a glimmer of hope came in the form of Yoshino.

"Shidou-san has a computer... I don't think... he'll mind if we use it..."

There was no need to say any more words. The three spirits ran up to the room of the person who had saved them and began installing the visual novel.

* * *

"Shidou, how much do you know about idols?" Kotori, dressed in her military uniform and her hair tied with black ribbons, asked her older brother.

It was a question that you would think was out of place at a strategic meeting, but it was actually quite necessary to get to the heart of the issue.

They were both watching a recording of a concert on the big screen of the "Fraxinus" bridge. In the center of the stage was a girl joyfully dancing and singing with a lovely voice.

She was none other than the student Shidou had met today, Izayoi Miku, and undoubtedly the spirit with the code name "Diva".

Shidou scratched his neck before answering. "Well... I know they exist."

Kotori breathed a heavy sigh and stroked her forehead as she heard it. "It doesn't really surprise me. All you watch on TV are the news and the shows Yoshino watches. Anyway. I'll have to start from the beginning."

She paused the video on the screen and grabbed the report containing all the information about the next "opponent" that Shidou would have to conquer.

"Izayoi Miku. 17 years. Height 165cm..." She paused, avoiding revealing a certain trio of numbers. Apart from Shidou, there were a few perverts on the crew listening. "Her current occupation other than student is idol. Her first public performance was about half a year ago. Her splendid voice is known as Anesthetic Sound. With her overwhelming singing skills, a number of her super-popular songs were released... But, this mysterious idol never made an appearance on television or in magazines... can such a person be considered an idol? No. Most shocking... a spirit blending into society and becoming an idol... Kurumi pales in comparison. Although, we now know how is that she saw you in the Tenguu Arena an hour before the spacequake."

"But that leaves us with the question of why there was a spacequake if she was already in this world."

"You have a point. We don't know if her powers got out of control or if she caused it on purpose. But, we have now practically confirmed our hypothesis regarding her aversion to men and her increase in her level of affection upon seeing Origami."

Seeing Shidou's confused face, Kotori snapped her fingers. "Nakatsukawa."

As soon as he was called, that crew member got up from his seat and straightened himself out. Nakatsukawa "dimension breaker" was a man with short brunette hair that spikes out in the front, wears a dark green suit with a black tie and glasses with a red rectangular frame.

According to Kotori, he had conquered over a hundred waifus, probably in dating simulators.

"Yes! As for the revolutionary idol that came on stage like a comet? Izayoi Miku-tan, she never reveals her true identity in front of people. Even her idol events only consist of regularly released CDs and invitations to her secret performances are only sent to a portion of her fan base... Clearly, all of Japan thinks of her as a celebrity. However, only a select few have seen her look. It reached the point where people have begun to doubt whether she is real."

Shidou whistled at that. If he didn't know she was a spirit, he'd think she was a magus using the same murky methods the Magus Association used to hide the secret of magecraft from ordinary people.

"Then, how did you get this recording?"

"I had to pull some strings, and it was still really hard. Although we are in the age of technology and information, there is not a single photography of her appearance."

"But if she is an idol, why would she want to avoid being seen by other people?"

"Well, according to internet sources, she detests men to the point that shaking their hands disgusts her. You saw it yourself. In fact, the secret performances I mentioned earlier are only for female fans."

"Just for girls?" Shidou asked somewhat puzzled. After all, at today's meeting there had been quite a few boys other than him.

Nakatsukawa continued his explanation with enthusiasm, despite the fact that he was starting to lack air.

"Yeah, according to rumors, she takes her favorite fans with her when she goes out to have some fun."

Shidou began to sweat as he realized where the shots were going. In fact, now everything starting to make sense, although the answer was very worrying.

But he asked anyway, praying the slightest chance it wasn't what he thought it was. "So... she likes..."

Kotori moved the lolipop stick on her mouth up before crushing her brother's hopes. "Yes. Izayoi Miku might like girls, which is known as 'yuri'."

The golden-eyed teenager stroked his face. Although he was aware of this possibility, he had decided to ignore it to avoid headaches. He should have known better. With his E-rank luck, maybe even Izayoi Miku wasn't the only spirit that is inclined that way.

Being someone who the concept of love was so alien to him, he never paid any attention to such matters. But this was now a problem, and a serious one.

"How am I supposed to save her if she doesn't like men in the first place?"

"Didn't I tell you already, Shidou? We already have a countermeasure prepared for these cases."

Shidou might have considered what his little sister said a ray of hope, were it not for the malice-filled tone with which she spoke.

"I will ask, although I'll surely regret it. What kind of countermeasures are we talking about?"

Kotori just snapped her fingers again. Next, Kannazuki and two other crew members, "Cursed Doll" Shiizaki and "In Probation" Minowa, approached him. The first carried a girl's uniform from the Raizen Academy of rather large size, while the other two carried wigs and cosmetic tools.

After putting all the pieces together in his mind, Shidou looked at his sister, who now had a wicked smile in her face, with an expression that said "What am I doing with my life?".

He thought he heard in the distance a very familiar laugh. It reminded him the laugh of a certain goldie, but in a more high-pitched tone, but he discarded it. It must have been his imagination because the energy drink was wearing off.

"Do you really think I can pretend to be a girl? I'm not very feminine."

"For your body we just have to do what you do to hide your muscles. That is, to wear clothes of a size bigger than your real one. As for your face, with makeup you can do wonders. And well? What do you say? It's not like we have another method so you can talk to her without her trying to kill you like last time."

Shidou gave a resigned sigh. "Leaving aside that deceiving her feels wrong, I don't mind cross-dressing if it's to save her. But, in the hypothetical case that I can seal her powers, what am I supposed to do next? I can't spend my whole life cross-dressing, you know?"

Kotori shrugged. "We will cross that bridge when we have to. Until then, focus on your mission. I wish you luck, Onee-chan."

* * *

_Four hours later._

After what could be called hell with Kannazuki and the other crew members making jokes about his cuteness, Shidou gawked at the beauty reflected in the mirror in front of him.

Her orange hair fell to her shoulders, with a side ponytail to her left tied with a yellow ornament and a tuft rising upward to her right. A slight base layer was added to her face, a mascara and eyelash curler were used to modify her golden eyes, and a cherry lipstick was applied to her lip.

The sculpted pectorals and abs were concealed by several layers of tight bandages and the uniform shirt rather loose, and the chest was enhanced with pads and a bra on top.

The complications came with the legs. The skirt fairly loose of the uniform covered the thighs, and underneath it she was wearing shorts to disguise the "sword". That, combined with brown heeled boots that covered up to half of the lower part of her legs and black stockings that reached up to under her skirt, managed to disguise the muscles of her legs.

In short, she was not a supernatural beauty like the spirits, Saber or Rider, but you could say she was cute. She was taller than average and her defined muscles were still a little noticeable, but she was not far from the girls of the kendo club or the athletic club.

"No way... what the...?"

Gilgamesh's laughter grew louder in Shidou's mind, and was now accompanied by the laughter of a certain archer who give up on his dream. A strange combination that made him frown and had to supress the urge to go to find them and beat them up.

Those were the only two people he really couldn't stand.

"This was quite a challenge, but I must say that the result is really satisfying. In fact, it is unexpectedly appropriate."

At his side, Kotori spoke as she looked at her "Onee-chan" in surprise, although her wicked smile didn't leave her face at any time.

"The finishing touch. Put this on your nut."

Shidou took what looked like a patch and did what Kotori told him.

"And this is for- WHAT!?"

His question was interrupted when he realized the voice coming out of his throat. It was a high-pitched voice that looked like the one of a cute girl.

"What do you think? It is a high-performance voice modifier created using Ratatoskr's most sophisticated technology. With this, no one will mistake you for a boy."

It was a relief for Shidou not to have to force his voice all the time, but he still had to watch his way of speaking. As an example, in Japanese there are several ways to refer to yourself depending on the gender.

"You said the next committee meeting is this Monday, right? Starting tomorrow, you're gonna train to be a girl. For today go home and get a few hours of sleep back. You're going to need it."

"Got it..."

* * *

"I'm home..."

For the second time in two consecutive days, I entered my home very tired, although this time I was mentally exhausted rather than physically.

I spent another quarter of hours to remove all the makeup and change into my usual clothes, so we had finished at 6.30, pm and I would have to get to make dinner in a few minutes.

Just thinking about the training I was going to have to do tomorrow, I could feel a migraine surge in the front of my head.

I was not only going to have to learn to talk and behave like a girl, but I was also going to have to walk in heels. As someone who trained all his life in the art of the sword, even if I developed my own style, footwork and keeping balance at all times were the key.

Having to suddenly get used to walking with my feet in an angle I'm not used to was going to be complicated. Honestly, I hope I don't have to fight while disguised as a girl. That would really be problematic, especially if there are witnesses around and I can't blow my cover and summon my servant attire.

However, leaving that issue aside, I couldn't help but frown when I didn't hear anyone replied me.

Considering Kotori stayed in Fraxinus again, that wouldn't be unusual. But, the door wasn't locked, so I assumed one of the spirits was here. I made sure to get them to lock the door when they left the house and neither I nor Kotori were there.

I went into the living room to see if they were there and they hadn't heard me because they were watching TV, but the place was completely empty. The only thing that changed since I left the house this morning to go to the meeting was that there was now a pile of dirty dishes in the sink, probably left behind by the spirits after breakfast.

But, the place was not completely quiet. I could hear sounds coming from upstairs. Reinforcing my ears, I managed to distinguish what they were, and I was even more confused.

They were unmistakable sounds of clashing swords. But, something was off with them, and they were too quiet to be so near. It looked like... they were being played on a loudspeaker.

Were the girls playing a video game? That didn't make sense. Leaving aside that they had video consoles in the apartment for spirits, it would be best to use the television in the living room.

Anyway, I went upstairs to see what they were doing, and to warn them that I was already home and was going to prepare dinner.

I got to my room door. The sounds had stopped, and now instead I heard a couple of voices that were strangely familiar to me.

I opened the door silently, and found a strange scene. Yoshino was sitting in the chair in front of my desktop computer, staring at the screen with a worried face and pressing the left mouse button from time to time.

Sitting on the bed were Tohka, Kaguya and Yuzuru, also staring at the screen with expressions that were a mixture of worry and excitement, and were literally on the edge of the seat. The bed and the floor around them were filled with empty packets of snacks.

Following the look of the four girls, I looked at what was on the computer screen that was so interesting that they completely ignored my presence.

"Huh!?"

My eyes widened, my eyebrows rose to hide behind my bangs, and my breath stopped.

On the screen there was an image of a street that was familiar to me. The place was in ruins, with signs that a fight between two very powerful beings had occurred. And in the center of the screen was an albino girl with red eyes of an age similar to Yoshino, speaking. In front of her appeared in text what she was saying, and the thoughts of a narrator in first person.

She was undoubtedly Illyasviel von Einzbern, the master of the servant Berserker in the Fifth Holy Grail War. The scene was the same one I witnessed on the first night, but at the same time ended differently. Saber had been defeated as she apparently didnit receive my support, or from whoever the servant Archer was, during her fight with the black giant and failed to bring the fight to the nearby cemetery.

My eyes turned to the opened box next to the PC tower. I recognized the title of "Fate/Stay Night", and had to pinch my nose bridge in preparation for the headache that was coming.

Finally, the girls reached a choice.

1- Run away with Tohsaka...!

2- Save Saber...!

"W-what do we do?!" Yoshino looked at the other spirits on the verge of a panic attack.

"We have to save Saber!" Tohka responded with a voice full of enthusiasm and resolve.

"Objection. It is impossible for a normal human like Shirou to do anything against that monster. Even Kaguya and Yuzuru would have problems against him."

"But we cannot abandon Saber-chan..."

Still at a dead end, the four turned to look at me.

"Shidou, what would you do?!" They didn't even bother to greet me or explain why they were locked in my room playing an eroge, or why they had dovoured all of Kotori's snacks.

"Of course, save Saber." I found myself responding without thinking. It's what I would have done if I had been in that situation, and surely what Emiya Shirou would do.

Yoshino, despite her doubts, chose option two. With a battle cry, Emiya Shirou put aside his fears and threw himself at the blonde girl who swore to be his sword.

The next thing shown on the screen was a bunch of blood flying off. As expected, Shirou was not quick enough to dodge Berserker's axe-sword attack, and his stomach was pulverized. The auburn-haired boy flew away, his torso barely attached to his legs by a thread of meat.

But, at least he managed to push Saber out of the attack that would surely have killed her.

There was a dead silence in my room. The scene not only shocked Saber, Rin, and even Illya, who was so confused that she ordered Berserker to withdraw, but also the girls who were reading the visual novel.

I was the only one who didn't even blink. Although I did not witness this scene during the Holy Grail War in which I participated, I saw Emiya Shirou quite a few times being almost killed. Not only that. Rin didn't exaggerate when she said we both looked alike, so if we add to that the times I've been about to die, it's not surprising that the scene didn't cause any reaction in me.

Besides, I don't know if Zelretch anticipated that Yoshino would play the visual novel, but it's reassuring that it didn't show a picture of Shirou's current state. That made the scene more digestible.

The scene ended with Shirou losing consciousness and with Saber and Rin's worried screams. Poor boy. When he woke up he would have to deal with two angry ladies. He had my condolences.

"Shidou!? Your choice killed Shirou!" Tohka turned to yell at me, still wide-eyed.

"He didn't die. You didn't get the dead end screan."

"Huh?"

The four looked at the screen confused. The date had advanced the next day, and now Shirou was narrating what seemed like a dream. Surely he was dreaming with Arturia's past.

"How!? That monster tore him apart, right!?"

"Confusion. A human being would die instantly upon receiving that wound."

Kaguya and Yuzuru's confusion was understandable. I guess they still don't know that Emiya Shiroo had Excalibur's scabbard in his body.

"Believe me. Killing Emiya Shirou takes a lot more than that. Besides, the other option would have been worse. Saber would have died, and it's impossible for Shirou and Rin to run away from Berserker, so they would also have died."

The girls nodded in compression, although the choice was still pretty crazy.

"You really know a lot about this, Shidou-san... We were right to assume that you helped making this game..."

"That's really impressive, Shidou-kun. We've barely reached the end of day one and the story is very exciting."

"Huh? How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Well, the protagonist is very much like you, both in appearance and personality."

"Agree. He also says he's a magus, and uses the same terminology for gis magic."

Well, there goes my attempt to pretend that I had nothing to do with this game. Although, the girls playing the visual novel was surely within the plans of the Kaleidoscope, so my attempts to hide it were doomed to failure from the start.

"Rather than helping to make this, let's say an "acquaintance" of mine borrowed a story of mine, created this without even asking my and gave it to me."

That wasn't exactly true, since from what I see I'm not in the route they're reading and Emiya Shirou and I were just very similar people, or so I think. After remembering how I looked when I was young I'm not so sure. But better that than traumatize them by saying them that this visual novel is actually based in real events.

"Anymay. Aside from the fact that you're playing a game in my room without telling me anything and all the snacks you ate while I was away, I came to tell you that I'm home and in a few minutes I'll be making dinner."

The four girls blushed a little embarrassed and looked away.

"Are you mad at us, Shidou?"

I found myself sighing again. Watching them put on those faces full of regrets was painful.

"I'm not mad at anyone. I don't mind you using my computer, as long as you clean up this mess. Not that I use it much in the first place."

Their faces lit up when they heard that they had my permission to continue playing the game. Too bad I would have to give them the bad news.

"However, I don't think Kotori will take you emptying his precious snack pool so well."

The eyes of the Yamai sisters and Yoshino landed in Tohka, who began to sweat.

"My dear familar, I wish you luck on your journey to the darkest confines of hell."

"Farewell. Yuzuru offers her condolences to Tohka. Kotori appreciated those snaks almost like her lolipops. She enjoyed them when she finally came home from work."

"Hey, it's not my fault! None of us knew how to cook and Shidou didn't come to make the lunch. Besides, you also ate! We're in this together! You too, Yoshino!"

The blue-eyed spirit was stopped in her tracks when she was already passing by my side to leave the room without anyone noticing.

"But... what are we gonna do? Apologize...?"

The four of them could see that there was not much they could do to avoid being scolded. Then the four of them looked at me, their last hope, and bowed down to beg.

""Shidou, please help us!""

Then I found myself in a dilemma. Should I help them or not?

This was a problem that they had gotten themselves into. If I continued "spoiling" them and not let them take responsibility for their actions, it could end up being worse in the long run. On the other hand, my philosophy is that helping someone isn't wrong...

Nah, who am I kidding? It's impossible for me to look away when there are people who desperately need help in front of me.

"Fiiiine, I'll help you this time. Since the stores are already closed at this time, I'll go buy snaks first thing in the morning. We'll pretend this never happened, so not a word to Kotori. And next time, ask her permission. I don't think she'll be as upset as you think."

"Yay, Shidou is the best!"

By the time I realized, I found myself in the middle of a hug between the four beauties.

But before I left to make dinner, I looked at my computer screen for the last time. If tomorrow's training was already going to be a headache, the girls reading that visual novel was on another level.

* * *

Finally, Monday came. The day in which I would try to put into practice the "contingency plan for yuri spirits".

The morning classes were over, and as a member of the festival committee I would have to go to Tenguu Square, where the festival would be held. And, where I would go to meet Izayoi Miku... dressed as a girl...

I put on the disguise in a secluded bathroom and introduced myself to the Ai-Mai-Mii trio as Itsuka Shiori, Itsuka Shidou's cousin. Obviously, it was a false identity that I needed to be able to walk around the school and the festival in disguise without being asked a lot of questions.

To my enormous surprise, they didn't even suspect that I was a boy. They even asked me if I was a model. Kotori didn't really exaggerate when she talked about the power of makeup.

Telling them "Shidou" was busy, I proposed that "Shiori" go instead to Tenguu Square.

Again, to my surprise, they took it pretty well. There was almost a slip-up with Tohka looking through the disguise instantly, and Origami started taking pictures of me obsessively, but I managed to muddle through.

And here I was, walking through Tenguu Square as I followed Kotori's directions to find the famous idol, and I tried to hide my discomfort from walking in heels.

Finding her in Hall 1 was not a problem. The problem was that she wasn't alone.

"As I expected, she is with that group of girls who follow her like ducklings."

In fact, I found the level of devotion that her classmates had for her a little off.

_"Well, even though we've been expecting this, it's still annoying. Even if you approach her, they could prevent a direct conversation by surrounding and protecting the Empress. How should we act?"_

"Could you send a Ratatoskr member in disguise to create an opening...?"

_"That sounds like a plan... no, wait. It looks like it won't be necessary. Miku separated from the group."_

Upon hearing that I looked back at the group of girls, and indeed, Miku had separated from her entourage and seemed to be heading to the bathroom.

_"This is your chance. Follow her."_

I nodded and began to follow her, making sure to keep a considerable distance so that she would not notice my presence. That, and walking in heels I couldn't walk very fast. Luckily, following people was one of the specialties of an archer.

She passed by the bathroom and went to the music stage located in the center of the square. She completely ignored the tape blocking the entrance along with a sign saying "only authorized staff" and headed to the back of the stage.

The place was no different from the last time I was here, only instead of trash everywhere, there were boxes and material that would be used during the festival.

Finally I got to the door leading to the stage. Quite an achievement not to stumble over all the things on the floor wearing heels.

For a moment I had a feeling of deja vu. I found the same spirit standing in the middle of the same stage.

"I hope this time is different..."

_"Don't worry. If our hypothesis is correct, she shouldn't treat you like scum. We've confirmed 100% that her hatred is towards men. But, it would be a different case if "Shiori-chan" is not of her taste or she sees through the disguise. So, Shidou please be careful."_

"I'll be careful..."

After saying that, I walked resolutely towards her. I let the sound of my footsteps by heard in the place so she would notice my presence.

She immediately turned surprised to look at me. "Oh my...?"

She looked at me from head to toe with her eyes squinted, examining me thoroughly. I couldn't help but swallow while keeping my cool as I could.

Did she manage to see through the costume as Tohka did...?

I really hoped she didn't. Unlike last time there were too many civilians in the area, so I couldn't afford a fight. Not to mention the material damage and witnesses. I had not yet checked 100% whether the AST or DEM had witness elimination policies...

"You are...?"

The question abruptly pulled me out of my thoughts... and I ended up answering without thinking.

"_Me_? _I'm_ just someone of no importance that happened to drop by..."

"_Me_?" Miku tilted her head with confusion.

That was an introduction I used to give in my previous life. And in my previous life I wasn't going around disguised as a girl... so I referred to myself with a masculine expression.

"I screwed up..." I whispered between my teeth so it would only be heard through the intercom.

_"Wait. For some reason her reaction is not negative."_

Just after Kotori said that, Miku chuckled and smiled at me. "You seem to speak strangely... fufufu... but you have personality, so it's wonderful..."

_"The values of affection level and mood are constant! He seems to have confused your masculine way of speaking with a weird personality. Well, for once we're lucky. Keep talking like that, Shidou."_

That was a huge relief and I was able to relax. Even if the make-up was made to not be easily removed, if I kept sweating from the nerves and the heat from wearing so many clothes in summer, it would end up ruined.

_"Oh, by the way, we already have the options. It's the third option. Tell her you want her to sell you her panties for 30,000 yen."_

I couldn't help but make a deadpan face even though I was under Miku's watchful eye.

"Seriously?"

_"You're a girl right now, Shidou. It's just a joke at best. The important thing is to leave a strong impression on you, even if it's like a "weird girl"."_

The explanation didn't convince me much, but I couldn't leave the girl in front of me waiting any longer. So, I put on the most serious face I could and proceeded to negotiate the price of her panties...

"Hey, you..."

"Yes...?"

"You'd sell me the panties you're wearing for 30,000 yen...?"

As expected, the question left her astonished and even more confused. "Why is that?"

"Well..." I couldn't think of any argument.

Seeing me doubt, she smiled. But, surprisingly, it wasn't a smile that promised pain like the one she put on our first meeting before she started verbally abusing me. She really seemed cheerful, and responded in a nice tone, which left me just as confused.

"Let's see... I don't like it if it's for money, but I'll think about it if it's in exchange for your panties, you know?"

When my brain finished processing what she said, I stepped back and put my hands in front of my skirt by reflex. Although it goes without saying that there were no panties down there.

"Huh!?" The face I made must have been very funny, because she laughed.

"It's a joke. In fact, shouldn't that be my reaction?"

"Well... you're right about that. I was joking too..."

She laughed again, and I laughed awkwardly because of how weird the situation was.

We both fell in a silence, and I had to squeeze my head to think of a topic for conversation.

"Err... isn't this place forbidden?"

"Fufu, yes, that's right... I'm sorry, I did something bad~" She ended the sentence by putting on a malicious smile that reminded me of Rin. "However, doesn't that make you a bad girl too?"

"Eh? No. I was..."

Before I could think of an excuse, she approached me casually. She stopped at a distance where personal spaces ceased to exist, and she put a finger in front of my lips.

"Fufu, it's okay. This will be our little secret. Promise among bad girls."

I nodded and stepped back as I tried to push aside any impure thoughts. That made her smile joyfully again.

I still had a hard time assimilating that this was the same girl who a few days ago gave me a look an expresion as cold as the one I put on when I am fighting, called me a perverted scum and tried to kill me. The difference between how she treated men and women was simply exaggerated. She hardly seemed the same person.

After giving me another look, she tilted her head and asked a question. "That uniform... are you from Raizen Academy?"

"Yes, that's right..."

"Hnn... were you at the meeting two days ago?"

"No... I wasn't feeling well that day..." That was partly true. I went to the meeting half asleep and looking like a ghoul.

"Aah, so that's why." After saying that, she 2stretched out her hand to me. "Well, then I'll introduce myself again. I'm Izayoi Miku from the Rindouji All-Girls Private School. Nice to meet you... Let's work toguether to make the Tenou festival a success."

"Oh... nice to meet you too. I'm Shiori. Itsuka Shiori. Feel free to me like you want."

I shaked her hand, making sure to moderate my strength. Her hand was small and soft, and it felt like it would break like glass if I pressed too hard.

"Shiori-san then... It's a nice name."

"Thanks..."

If being praised made me uncomfortable most of the time, that my fake name was praised was much worse. Although, considering that until a few years ago I was a nameless entity and I don't even remember who gave me my current name, it wasn't so bad... I guess...

"Your hand is hard and it's full of calluses. Do you practice any sports?"

"Well, I practice kendo and kyudo."

That was not entirely correct, as my sword style doesn't resemble kendo in the least and my archery is European, but it was what here in Japan is practiced in after-school clubs.

She nodded in understanding. "Aah, no wonder your body is so well defined... It must be great to be so tall."

"Yeah... I know I'm not very feminine..."

"That's not true. I think you're very cute."

"Really...?"

That surprised me a lot. I didn't know whether to be happy because the disguise was incredibly effective or feel bad about being so blatantly deceiving her.

_"Fumu, it's not a bad value. It looks like you'll be fine as long as you don't make a very serious mistake. I'd like to gather more data about her. Shidou, ask her more questions."_

Kotori's confirmation that this was not a facade was a relief. I took a moment to think about what to ask her without revealing the fact that I knew her true identity.

"So, Miku-san, why did you come to this place?"

That might be considered a stupid question considering I asked an idol, someone who works on the stage. But, the concept of idol is really alien to me, so I would like to know her motivation to sing and dance in front of a lot of people.

She let go of my hand and turned to look at the auditorium. "That's because I love being on stage."

I raised an eyebrow at the vague response. "Being on stage?"

"Yes. Everyone loves my songs. This place... I'm so fond of it that I can't resist it. That's why, the moment I saw this place when I was moving in, I suddenly felt like standing on it."

"I see...?" I really couldn't get much out of that answer.

She gave me a smile that I couldn't interpret. "Shiori-san, you're the strange one here."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Did you happen to hear my name somewhere?"

Well, technically I didn't know that the idol Izayoi Miku existed until a few days ago, and I doubt that would have changed if it weren't for her being a spirit.

I scratched the back of my neck and put on an ankward smile. "I'm sorry. I don't know about you. Are you a celebrity or something?"

Her eyes opened with surprise as she listened to me. I thought for a moment that I screwed up again, but she just shook her head.

"No. Please don't worry about that." After saying that, she walked past me and headed over to the side of the stage. "Well then, it's time for us to go back?"

_"I was hoping you could talk to her a little more, but we can't hold her unjustifiably either. We'll have to make an excuse for you to meet her again."_

"Understood." After whispering to the intercom, I turned to give an answer to Miku. "Yes... We better get back before someone sees us in this place..."

"No... I really don't care about that..."

"Huh?" Her reply again confused me. Was she really so carefree?

She walked back to me and put her finger in front of my lips again. "This is our bad girl secret, right?"

After saying that and seeing my blushed and confused face, she chuckled again and walked to the door through which we entered the place.

I tried to follow her to keep talking to her and see if I could arrange a meeting with her. The key word is "tried".

That was the first time I tried to walk at a light pace wearing heels... so it didn't go very well.

"Woah!"

The thing is, I ended up stumbling forward. My surprise shriek, which with the voice modulator ended up being quite cute, made Miku turn around surprised and worried. However, even being a spirit, she couldn't react in time and I ended up dragging her with me.

"Kya!"

Seeing that I was going to fall on her, and with my luck I was going to end up touching something I shouldn't and I could even hurt her, I grabbed her waist and spun to switch our positions.

I took a pretty hard blow in my head, but even though I didn't have my old servant body I didn't get any injuries. It just hurt.

I opened my eyes and found Miku's face inches from mine. I could even feel her breath against my face. Had I already mentioned that she was really beautiful?

Putting that thought aside, I concentrated on the important. "Are you okay, Miku-san?"

"Yes, somehow..." She stopped talking and made a confused face before looking down.

I followed her gaze and realized that her hand landed on one of my "breasts". Obviously I didn't feel anything because they were fake, but that raised a really serious problem.

I looked at her face again, expecting the worst. However, instead of looking at me with the same face she put on when she first saw me and start yelling at me, she put on a wicked smile and started groping my "breasts".

"Fufu... To have such a defined body, your breasts are really soft. Were these your true intentions? You really are a bad girl, Shiori-san."

My mind was blocked by the absurd situation I had just gotten myself into. As a girl, I should be uncomfortable with her touching my breasts, but I was in no condition to think about what would do a girl.

But, her malicious look, and her other hand dangerously getting close to my "excalibur", made me instinctively crawl backwards as fast as I could until my back slammed into some boxes.

That all the junk on top of the box fell on top of me and filled me with dust didn't matter to me as long as I could put enough meters between ourselves.

"What are you doing!?"

She simply chuckled. "Fufu... I could get a cute reaction from Shiori-san."

"Anyway..." I stood up and sighed in relief as I shook the dust off my clothes. It's a good thing I made sure I fixed the breast pads properly, although what I had in mind when I did was that they might fall off while I was walking.

"I'm sorry about that. I'm not very used to walking in heels."

Miku, who had approached me again worried, tilted her head. "Then, why are you wearing heels?"

"Well... I thought they would make me look more... feminine?"

It was hard for me to say because it sounded so absurd in my head, but she seemed to misunderstand it as shyness.

"Aaww... you can be really cute, Shiori-san. Of course I accept your apologies. But, it's time for me to return. I hope we meet again, and remember, it's a secret."

After saying that and winking at me, she left the building.

_"I don't know if you planned it, but that move was really effective. With this we are sure that she will not bother if you meet her again "accidentally". Even her level of affection increased."_

"Of course I don't..." Even if my fighting style consisted in planning ten steps ahead of the opponent, there's no way I could predict this outcome.

Miku was similar to Kurumi-san in the sense that she was taking the initiative and it looked like she was the one flirting with me and not the other way around.

But before I left the place, my eyes set on something that stood out on the ground. I went over to pick it up, and I realized it was a lace scarf, an object that was clearly out of place here.

"I suppose it must have fallen off during our "accident"..."

_"Well, now you have an excuse to meet her again. I'm surprised how well everything has gone. With this success I'll call it a day and tomorrow you will return the lace scarf."_

Well, that certainly turned out much better than I expected. I hope things don't get worse tomorrow...

* * *

The next day I found myself waiting at the side of the outer door of the Rindouji All-Girls Private Academy.

With my back resting on the white wall and disguised as "Shiori-chan", I waited patiently for Izayoi Miku to finish her lessons and leave to go home.

_"Shidou, the lessons at Rindouji Academy just finished. She should be out soon."_

Hearing Kotori's signal, I turned my head to look at the entrance. As expected, with lessons finished, a lot of girls dressed in blue sailor uniforms started to leave school.

I put my hand in the pocket of my skirt and pulled out the lace scarf that Miku lost. It was an excuse a little weak to meet her again, and there was a chance that once I gave it back to her, she would go home without any exchanging more words.

In that case, we'd have to improvise. Wearing a different uniform, I began to notice that I was getting the attention of the students coming out the school. But I completely ignored them while waiting for the target to walk out the entrace.

Although, minutes passed and she still didn't leave...

"Kotori, are you sure she won't stay late doing things related to the Tenou Festival committee?"

_"You don't have to worry about that. We've already investigated it. It's true that Miku is on the committee, but it turns out that she definitely enjoys tea time with girls she likes once a week. And, today Tuesday is that day."_

"If that's so, then how are you so sure she won't take the scarf and leave with her friends?"

_"Come on Shidou. Considering yesterday's values, she will treat you well. Oh, by the way, she's already coming out."_

As she said, I distinguished from the crowd her violet hair that stood out quite a bit. And, of course, she was surrounded by her entourage of beautiful girls.

"I hope you're right..." After whispering that, I took a deep breath, adopted a calm front, and approached the group.

One of the girls noticed me coming, and stopped to look at me. At least this time they didn't start yelling at me and calling me a pervert right off the bat.

"You need something?"

"Well... I'd like to speak to Izayoi Miku..."

"Ahh... are you by chance one of Onee-sama's fans?"

Why did she jump to that conclusion without even letting me explain? And what's with that nickname?

"Not exactly..."

She interrupted me again. "It's not good, you know? Not that I can't understand your feelings, but Onee-sama is in her private time right now. If you're a fan you can understand that, right?"

I refrained from clicking my tongue. Why do these girls have to defend Miku with such enthusiasm. Although they didn't treat me like a pervert, now that I'm disguised as a girl, they still treated me like a nuisance.

"Hey, I just want to talk a little bit and return this..."

Before she answered me and we started an argument, a surprise sound was heard behind the wall of fanatical girls.

"Oh? Shiori-san?" Miku widened her eyes and covered her mouth in surprise after seeing me.

The reaction was so strange to me that I could not interpret it, but anyway I raised my hand to greet her.

The eyes of the girl who was blocking my path started to spin and she practically started shaking with what I thought was panic.

"A-are you an acquaintance of Onee-sama? I-I was so rude..."

Again with drastic changes in the way they treat people. I just gave her a wry smile. "No, don't worry."

While trying to calm down the girl who looked like she was going to have an aneurysm, Miku approached us.

"Is something wrong...? There's no joint meeting today, you know?"

"Oh... I just came to give you this." I estretched my hand with the lace scarf. "It must have fell off from your pocket during our err... accident."

She took it surprised. Although it seemed that she hadn't realized that she had lost it, she showed me a smile.

"You took the trouble to came here just to return this to me? And you even washed it for me... Deep down you're a pretty sweet girl, Shiori-san..."

After saying that, she took the scarf up to her nose and began to breathe hard. "Fufu... this also has Shiori-san's smell in it... This makes me really happy."

"Ah..." Again, the situation was so surreal for me that I didn't know what to answer. Honestly, I'm starting to think my mental sanity is getting too degraded with this whole spirit thing.

I washed the scarf because I thought giving it to her so dirty with all of the dust and dirt on the floor at the back of the stage seemed wrong to me. But I really didn't expect her to react like that!

After putting the scarf in her pocket, Miku's eyes opened. It seemed that she had just had an idea. Next, she looked at me and put on a mischievous smile.

"Shiori-san, how about you came to my house to drink tea with me as a thanks for taking the trouble to return this?"

Although I wasn't in the best condition to think, I knew this was my chance. Although, seeing the girl's shocked face next to me, I knew I'd be crushing her dreams.

"Yes, I would love to."

In less than a quarter of an hour, I found myself at Izayoi Miku's house, waiting at a table for her to finish making tea.

If the Rindouji Academy already looked like a castle, her home was not far behind. It had a characteristic blue western roof and white walls, and also had a large garden full of exotic plants.

I have no idea about how are idol's salaries, but to pay for this it must be considerable, considering she lives alone. That wasn't very strange since she was a spirit, and I'd be really surprised if she had parents.

Although, there was still the possibility that she was a human who received that strange crystal and acquired the powers of a spirit, as was the case with Kotori.

And now that I think about it, how did she set up this whole normal human facade? Did she have contacts that could fabricate a fake identity and handle all the paperwork involved? Or could she use something like hypnosis?

Those were more questions to add to the pile regarding the mystery around Izayoi Miku.

"The tea is ready."

Miku's voice, along with the sound of hot tea being poured into the cup in front of me, pulled me out of my thoughts.

"You really didn't have to take to the trouble of using the most expensive tea leaves. Any tea would have been enough for me..."

"Nonsense. Being able to have tea with Shiori-san for the first time is a really special occasion for me. Besides, I had always wanted to be able to use these nice leaves, but I could not find the occasion."

Her gentle smile hasn't left his face since I set foot in her house. I frowned slightly, unable to shake the thought that something was off here from my head.

This level of special treatment is really weird. Aside from how uncomfortable it was for me, she just met "Shiori" yesterday. And today she preferred to have tea with me than with that girl who must have been her friend for more time.

"Still, are you sure you want to have tea with me and not with that girl? She seemed really excited."

She simply waved her hand as if it were an irrelevant matter. "Please don't worry about it. She is a very reasonable and good girl."

I don't know if "reasonable" would be the proper term. The girl looked like she was going to cry when I accepted the invitation, but by the time Miku told her that her turn would be next week, she obeyed without a hitch and went home.

There's definitely something wrong with the behavior of those girls.

She took her cup to her mouth for a sip and I imitated her. I must admit that the taste was really exquisite. With my current status as a Japanese citizen, I had gotten used to green tea, so tasting again an European tea was nice, and even brought me some nostalgia.

Seeing my reaction, Miku seemed satisfied and chuckled before taking another sip.

_"Not bad. Favorability towards Shidou is slowly increasing. What happens? At first I thought this was going to be difficult, but we could make her fall in love earlier than we expected if things remain like this. Don't rush it. For now, keep enjoying the conversation."_

Enjoying is a very generous word. My social skills are mediocre at best. Thinking about a topic of conversation between girls was a pain in the neck.

At first I tried to get information about her motivations, and I also asked her things like, "Are you living alone?" to see if she slipped up. But, after getting nothing but vague answers, we ended up having a conversation about irrelevant issues that we would surely forget in a short time.

"Oh my, it's quite late..."

When I heard her say that, I looked at the clock, and it was indeed 8 pm. We had lost track of time as we talked.

"I'm sorry, I seem to have extended the conversation too much."

I was about to jump out of the chair, and run off to go prepare dinner, but she shook her head.

"No, no, it was pretty enjoyable."

Our eyes met, and we stared at each other quietly for a while. I didn't know what to say, and she seemed to be totally engrossed looking at me.

"Ah, as I expected, it's nice. I've never met anyone like this before." She started talking to herself and nodded her head confirming something.

"Shiori-san, I have taken an interest in you. Please attend Rindouji from tomorrow." That's what she finally said.

I started blinking like an owl.

"Huh? Transfer to Rindouji?" I asked, doubting that she meant it.

"Yes. Please transfer to the academi I attend~"

"Huh?" I released another sound of confusion again. She seemed to be totally serious about this.

_"There is no answer here. She really means it... Although I don't want to damage Miku's good mood, the risk is too high. Think of a way to politely reject her offer."_

I nodded to Kotori's instructions, trying to put a neutral expression.

Seeing that I wasn't repliying, she continued to speak. "Of course, if the money or level of education is the problem, you don't have to worry about it~ I'll ask the school. Ah, and would you please tell me your uniform size~? I'll have it sent to you for tomorrow-"

"Hey, wait a minute!" I interrupted her before I started to question if I had ear problems. "Don't you think that's all too hasty? You're deciding everything on your own. I mean, I can't just transfer to another school in the middle of the grade..."

From the way she smiled, I can tell all my excuses came in one ear and out the other. Miku got out of her seat and sat on the one next to me. She grabbed my hands with hers, and bowed to bring her lips close to my left ear.

_"Please..."_

It was a request made with a sweet and charming voice. It was almost irresistible...

In fact, why was I resisting going to Rindouji Academy? Wouldn't it be great to attend the same academy that attends a fantastic girl as Miku...?

A sharp pain in my arm pulled me out of trance. My right hand had moved by reflex and had pinched my left arm with enough strength to leave a mark. But, that gave me the opportunity to activate my magic circuits and purge the spiritual energy that was trying to invade my body.

I don't know exactly what she had tried to do to me, but it was safe to assume it was some kind of hypnosis or mind control. For a moment, a pleasant sensation had invaded me, and I suddenly thought that Izayoi Miku was the most important person in my life.

"What you're asking me is too hasty... let me think it over."

"Eh?" Her eyes opened, confusion and surprise visible on her face. "Shiori-san?"

"Err, yes...?"

_"Please take off your clothes."_

This time she didn't catch me off guard, and her voice infused with spiritual energy failed to penetrate my magical resistance.

It was obvious that she was trying to check if her power had not worked before by chance. But, pretending that it worked was not an option. Undressing would mean giving up my cover as "Shiori-san".

For the time being, I'd play the fool. "Why are you asking something like that, Miku-san!? Even if we're friends, I can't just do that!"

She let go of my hands and straightened herself as she looked at me with her eyes squinted. Her suspicions must have been confirmed.

"Indeed, you do not seem to obey my words. Perhaps... are you a spirit?"

Well, she was right in a sense that she wasn't aware of. "Spirit? What do you mean by that? You're confusing me, Miku-san."

She just laughed at my answer. "Hahaha... you don't have to play the fool, Shiori-san. After all, there is no human who can resist my "Voice". No, rather, if you really are a spirit like me, I would feel happy. I wanted to meet another spirit besides myself, you know? There must be others like me out there."

She sighed at my silence. My expresion had become a perfect poker face, so she could hardly read me.

"More importantly, who are you, Shiori-san? Are you really a spirit? Or are you part of that group of people who call themselves wizards? Meeting you was a coincidence? Or do you have a hiddn goal?"

This spirit was quite sharp, much more than Tohka and the others. The mystery of how she could integrate into society so easily began to unravel.

"Should I tell her?" I whispered to the intercom to ask for confirmation.

_"She's starting to get exasperated. If you keep avoiding her questions, our effort may be ruined. We have no choice... Although it's risky, let's move on to direct negotiation. Tell her, Shidou."_

Well, I guess it's time to reveal the truth, at least partialy.

"I'm not a spirit, but I'm not one of those "wizards" either. I'm a magus."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "And what's the difference between wizard and magus?"

"The explanation is too long and tedious. The important thing is that I don't work with them. And also, I have a special power that allows me to seal the powers of the spirits."

I dropped the bomb after assuring her that I wasn't her enemy. Her eyes widened again full of surprise.

"Seal the powers of the spirits...? What does that mean?"

I took the pose that Rin put on every time she gave one of her lectures on magecraft. I raised my left arm, stretched my index finger, leaned my elbow on my right hand and crossed my legs.

"In simple terms, the immense power your body generates will be transferred to mine. Then, in practice, you will be an ordinary human, and more importantly, the "wizards" will stop trying to kill you every time they detect your presence. I want to save you, Miku-san, so that you can live without the constant threat of death."

She did not interrupt me during the explanation. She listened in silence, trying to discern if I was telling the truth. When I was done, she put her hands to her mouth, and thought quietly for a few minutes.

"I understand. I'll believe you. It doesn't look like your voice was lying..."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow surprised. I expected she'd be more suspicious of someone who suddenly started telling her absurd things.

"What's that reaction? You didn't expect me to believe you, Shiori-san?"

"More than that, I expected you to doubt me a little more..."

"To be honest, I was really surprised..." She walked to the window as she spoke. "However, it does not appear that you are lying, Shiori-san. Besides, even though our meeting was an act, the thought that the reason was because you wanted to save me makes me feel happy."

She turned to look at me again, her gentle smile having returned to her face. "Tell me, Shiori-san. Does that mean you've actually sealed the power of other spirits?"

"That's correct. Five to be exact. I can assure you that the method is completely reliable and painless." I kept my tone professional, even though I wasn't so sure about the first fact.

"Really!? I didn't know there were so many spirits in this city. I definitely want to meet them! Is it too much to ask?"

"Of course. They'll be happy to be your friends." This was going much better than I expected, but it was time to ask the question. "So what do you say? Will you let me seal your powers?"

"Ah... I'm sorry. But I don't need you to seal my powers."

Well, that was a negative answer, but it was refreshing that she didn't accept everything I said at first, even if that made my work more complicated. I was beginning to think that this girl was really careless.

_"Tsk... she said it."_

She took a relaxed pose as she began to explain herself. "Isn't it obvious if you think about it? Even in my current state with my power, I am still able to have a satisfying lifestyle~ There is no reason for me to give up my powers. I think we could be good friends, but this and that are different things."

What she said made sense. However, there was still something that doesn't add up in that explanation.

"Then, tell me, what about the spacequake a few days ago? You caused it, didn't you?"

That surprised her. "Oh~ It's surprising that you know that..."

"I have my methods. The question is, did you cause it on purpose? Or did your powers get out of control? If it's the last, if you let me seal your powers, you won't have to worry about that anymore."

"I'm happy you're worried, but it's not necessary. That spacequake was something that happened of my own free will."

"Why would you do such a thing?" I tried to stay calm even though I didn't like the implications of this in the least. And yet, my tone came out in a dead serious tone.

"Yesterday when I met you, I told you, didn't I? I love being on stage. That day, while passing casually by the Tastsunami station, there was a band performing a concert in the Tenguu Arena~ At that moment, I realized that I had never sung in the Tenguu Arena."

"So...?"

"So that's why I felt like singing. Then, Eiya~ something like that."

"Just for that reason you risked the lives of thousands of innocent people?"

"Calling it that reason is rude... I really wanted to sing, you know?"

Her face had no shred of remorse and guilt. She talked as if she didn't care about it. It seemed like... she didn't give a damn about other people's lives.

"You really don't care about killing all those people?"

"No, I don't really care."

"What if your friends, that group of girls who follow you everywhere, had been there? You wouldn't care about they dying either?"

She laid a finger on her cheek. "Well, that would certainly be problematic. It would be troublesome to find more girls that I like."

Again, her lack of empathy was surprising. Worst of all, she didnit have the same cruelty of or cold-blooded murderers, or without going further, the average magus with their philosophy of "the end justifies the means".

_"This is... unexpected..."_ Even Kotori was surprised at the murky turn the conversation had taken.

"You really don't mind getting your friends' blood on your hands?"

"I'd feel sad, you know? After all, they're girls I liked. But... those girls love me. They would gladly die for me, don't you think?"

I was reaching the limit, and I noticed a vein marked on my temple. If there's one thing I don't like, it's people who use others as simple tools. But above all, what I don't like are meaningless death, like all those people who died in that hell.

"They love you... you say..."

"Yeah, not just those girls, you know? Everybody loves me so much~ They would obey me no matter what~"

I had a hard time not exploding and yelling at her that she was horribly wrong. But, I knew that wouldn't do any good.

With this conversation, I could see that her vision of her and her surroindings was completely distorted because of her power to wash people's minds.

I would have to take a different approach from the one I usually use in these cases. She was not a dead apostle who slaughtered humans because their blood tasted good. She was just a teenage girl, at least her mentality, who suddenly had a power that allowed her to make humans obey her unconditionally.

Even if I didn't like it, I'd have to use that cynical archer's method.

After taking a deep breath to calm down, I looked into her eyes and put on a sarcastic smile.

"I see. It's even funny, you know? To say that the people you turned into puppets without will love you. It's not that different from looking for an imaginary friend because you feel lonely. Well? Do you want me to be your friend to ease your loneliness? I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline. I don't like people who don't give a damn about other people's lives."

Seeing her eyebrows trembled, I knew I touched a nerve. But, she did not lose her cool, and she showed me a twisted smile.

"So you are rejecting me, huh? Saying that makes me want to have you even more. I want to bother you until your face is filled with tears and you come to tell me "I love you so much". Fufufu~ I wonder, how long will you keep rejecting me."

"Hmph. Then I'll tell you this." I got up from the chair, dropped the sarcastic smile and let all my determination show up on my face. "Before that happens, I'm going to get you out of that illusion of yours of being an empress you've built around yourself. I'm going to save you!"

She replied with a competitive smile. "All right then. How about we have a competition?"

"A competition?"

"Yes. You want to save me, that is, seal my powers, and I want to make you mine, Shiori-san. But, neither side wants to accept it... Arguing will get us nowhere, don't you think?"

"Well, you do have a point... what do you propose then?"

"Let's see... If Raizen gets the award to the best on the first day of the Tenou festival this time, then I'll let you seal my powers. What do you think?"

"The Tenou Festival..."

As a member of the festival committee, I knew what events were on the first day. And I knew perfectly well why she decided to bet on that.

"And what if Rindouji wins?"

"At that moment, Shiori-san and the five spirits you sealed their powers will belong to me."

I frowned on reflex upon hearing her request. Things had just gotten a lot more serious, because it wasn't just me who would be harmed if I lost.

"Don't you think that's very unbalanced? It's five spirits and I in exchange for only your power. There's no way I'll accept something like that, Miku-san. Plus, you want to compete in something you know you have the upper hand. You plan on participating in the musical performances, don't you?"

"You are really sharp, Shiori-san. Yes. Although I don't want to appear in public, if it's for the Spirits I will make an exception. I will appear on stage on the first day. My idea is to have a direct competition with you, Shiori-san."

"Hmph. A professional idol against someone who has no idea of music. A fair match without doubt."

This was the first time I was being so sarcastic in a conversation, but I have to admit it was effective to blow off some steam.

"I think it's compensated. For me, the simple fact of going out to compete is already a problem for me. And even though I like you, Shiori-san, it's not like I bother about not having you. But what about you?"

"You're right about that. My goal is to save you no matter what. But if it's so much of a problem for you to appear on stage, why don't you trust it to Rindouji's students? Or rather, being an idol, why are you so reluctant to appear in public? Isn't being an idol supposed to be about that?"

It was very brief, and would have gone unnoticed by a normal person, but I could see that she hesitated before showing a confident smile.

"Why should I bother? My voice is more than enough to make everyone love me. Well? Do you accept my proposal?" After saying that, she reached out to me.

The most sensible thing would be to decline. It's impossible for me to beat her in a singing competition. However, that would take me back to square one.

And, not all was lost. It seems that she forgot one small important detail. The award for the best was not subject only to the musical performances. To achieve victory, I didn't have to defeat her directly. Making Academi Raizen win on the other events of the day would do the trick.

"Very well, I accept."

I shook her hand without hesitation, even though I could already hear Kotori complaining through the intercom.

Tomorrow I would have to start taking the festival issue seriously and start preparing a strategy together with Fraxinus.

* * *

**And that's it for now. Shiori-chan finally showed up, and I took my time to think about "her" design. "She" has the same appearance as the female version of Fujimaru Ritsuka, protagonist of "Fate/Grand Order". As for the clothes, it's the Raizen Academy's uniform, with a longer skirt, and with the boots and stockings that Ritsuka wears in the first mystic code, changing the color of the boots to a brown matching with the shirt of the uniform.**

**The thing was that the clothes covered most of the body so that the muscles of this Shidou with a much more defined body than the original could be disguised. Seriusly, comparing the original Shidou and the original Shiori, there wasn't a drastical change. He even show his thighs and anyone has no clue that he's a boy disguised as a girl.**

**I'm sorry I can't bring you an picture and I have to ask you to use your imagination, but since you can get an idea with my profile image, I'm not very good at drawing.**

**I don't know how far the next chapter will go, but I'd like to get to the exciting part. Basically, where King of Fakers can change more****t hings****. Yeah, there will be quite a few fights. Have I already said that's what I enjoy most writing?**

**By the way, I know this is out of the question, but for those of you who play FGO, how did the rolls for Skadi went? I threw at her about 260 SQ and 15 tikets, and what I got can be summed up in a hand with the middle finger raised. All I got was a lot of "Yorokobe Shounen", a Rama and a Martha, that by the way, I didn't have either of them.**

**Yes, I can say that it is 100% proven that my luck is E-rank.**

**Anyway, as always, I'd like to hear your opinion, as long as it's civilized, so don't hesitate to leave me a review, and I hope I've entertained you.**

**With this I say goodbye for now. Until next time!**


	12. Chapter 11: Everything was going well

**I'm back again people! Here I bring you the next chapter of this crossover. This chapter covers the part of the Tenou festival, and the action begins. And also, the hidden references are back.**

**Now, speaking of the reviews in the last chapter... I don't know if I should be glad that others triumphed where I couldn't and got their Scathach=Skadi, or I should go to a corner and cry. Especially since this year I couldn't get swimsuit umu either, and that's painful since last year I threw to her around 120 SQ. And and I'm giving up this year's summer event, because I doubt I can save for a miserable 10 roll. The life of an F2P player is hard...**

**Going back to this story, well, I didn't see anyone complaining about "Shiori", so I guess nobody has a problem with that. This is the last chapter in which "she" appears, at least for the moment.**

**Moving on to questions, specifically the questions that the last Guest made in the reviews, this Shidou's hair is slowly turning white every time he's forced to use his magecraft. Yes, the spirits will continue to dream of the nameless hero's past because of their connection to Shidou. As for Nahemah, given that demon kings are angels' other side of the coin, I'd say yes, it's a conceptual weapon. And finally, as to whether Tohka, and the others, know that Shidou and the nameless hero are the same person, by now, they already sense that to be so. What confuses them is what they see in those dreams, that is, King of Fakers' past, and the only thing they can theorize is that it is a possible future.**

**I was also asked if Zelretch was going to give King of Fakers a version of the Fate/Apocrypha light novel with the events of my other story "Similar ideals, diferent methods". I don't rule out the idea, but if I include it, it would be in an Omake or in a special chapter.**

**Without much more to say, let the chapter begin!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, the Fate franchise or Date a Live.**

* * *

"So, Shidou, can you tell me why you accepted such a risky proposal without consulting us?"

The first thing I found on my way back to Fraxinus's bridge was Kotori, scowling at me and with her arms crossed. Needless to say, she was upset with me because of the bet I made with Izayoi Miku.

"Well, I didn't have much choice. If I turned her down, to put it in your terms, she would send me to the friendzone."

"That's true. But, not only are you putting yourself on the line, but also the other spirits, and you barely took a second to think it over. I knew you were reckless sometimes, but that was going too far. Do you really think you have a chance to beat an idol as famous as her in a music competition?"

"No. I really doubt I can beat her on her own game."

The way I admitted I was going to lose in a calm tone made my sister widen her eyes.

"Then why did you accept instead of thinking of another course of action!?"

"Because to win the bet I don't have to beat her directly."

"Huh?" Kotori tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"The first step to obtain victory is to determine the conditions that must be met to obtain it. She said the winner would be the winner of the first day's award to the best, not the winner of the musical performances. While winning on the latter is important to get the first place, the other events that are held during the day also matter. So..."

"Oh." Kotori nodded in understanding after hearing my explanation. "I see. We just have to beat Rindouji Academy at the other events to get the first place without having to beat Miku. You really thought it ahead. Shidou. Color me impressed."

I raised an eyebrow. "I know I can be reckless on many occasions. But if what's at stake is not just my well-being, I won't make careless decisions."

"I know. I'm your sister, Shidou. I know your way of thinking pretty well. However, seeing as how you got angry when she showed her true colors, I wouldn't be surprised if you made decisions without thinking. It's really strange that you talk so sarcastically to someone."

"Well... I admit she managed to get on my nerves. I don't like people who don't care in the least about other people's lives."

"Anyway... Miku's level of affection didn't drop much. There won't be a problem as long as you get Raizen High to win first place. You will have to participate in the musical presentation as "Shiori-chan", and of course, we will help you."

"That would certainly be appreciated. Though, you're not thinking of making some Rindouji Academy students disappear, are you?"

She made a deadpan face. "Shidou, what do you take us for? A mafia? We are a pacifist organization. We would never do something like that."

I refrained from pointing out the mysterious disappearance of the previous physics teacher just a few days before Reine took his place.

"Anyway. What would your school present on the first day?"

"I think a band was going to participate."

"A band, huh? Then you're in luck. Last year you were in a band too, right? You already have some experience playing an instrument in front of the audience."

"Well..." Although that was true, I learned to play the guitar after practicing for about 48 hours with almost no rest, and abusing structural grasp. And the result was to not sound like a choir of dead children when I was playing. "I wouldn't trust my guitar skills very much."

"Still, that saves us having to make you take an intensive course for rookies. Anyway, I'll get you the best instructor. As for the song, we'll take care of getting it. We'll contact the best singers and composers. Do you know anything about Miku's presentation?"

I stayed in silence for a few moments, not knowing that the question was addressed to me.

"How do you expect me to know that? She wasn't even going to participate in the first place, so I doubt she has anything ready already."

"In that case, Shiizaki!" Kotori shouted the name of a crew member as she snapped her fingers.

Shiizaki, "cursed doll," following the example of the rest of the crew who were carrying out Kotori's requests, began typing on the console in front of her.

Send some spies to Rindouji All-Girls Private Academi and find the list of presentations that day. Is it necessary to cause some trouble?"

Kotori hummed upon hearing the question in malicious tones, but finally shook her head. "No. Although it would be a great help, if we don't get Miku to accept defeat it won't do any good. It's better if we can defeat her fair and square."

"Understood."

The crew of Fraxinus set to work to make all the preparations in record time. Now, all that was left was to make preparations at the school with the Ai-Mai-Mii trio.

* * *

Despite being the day before the Tenou Festival, Origami went to the base to perform maintenance on her CR-Unit. She couldn't neglect her duties as an AST member.

The previous day they had already agreed on the band's structure for the musical performance, and after Shidou, dressed as Shiori-chan, told them that he had made a bet with Izayoi Miku, she was motivated to participate. In fact, she was going to be the lead singer.

But, putting that aside, she noticed that the atmosphere in the hangar, where she was right now, was different than usual. It almost looked... like they were getting ready for a mission.

Yet, she was not aware that they had received any orders from the high command recently. Her usually stoic face turned into to a frown of suspicion.

Now that she looked, her companions around her were keeping a distance from her.

Light steps caught her attention in that moment. She turned her head to look in the direction they came from, and saw a girl with long blond hair and glasses running with some documents in her hands.

Her name was Mildred F. Fujimura, AKA "Milly" for friends.

Origami, with a precise movement, grabbed the neck of the lab coat the girl was wearing when she passed by her.

"Woah!?" She let out a squeak. "What are you doing!? What if I hurt my neck!?"

Origami ignored the poor girl's complaints. "Mildred, I have something to ask you."

"Milly" realized who the assailant was by hearing the voice in an indifferent tone. ""Milly" is unhappy with the way Origami treats her! I demand an improvement!"

"Understood." After giving a short answer, Origami let the girl go.

"Well? What do you want from "Milly"? "Milly" is busy right now, you know?"

"Is there a special operation recently?"

Upon hearing the question, Mildred made a confused face. "What are you saying, Origami? Of course, we are preparing for tomorrow's mission."

"Tomorrow?"

"Milly" nodded, causing Origami's confusion to increase. "Why was I not notified of this mission? What kind of operation will take place tomorrow?"

"Really? That Ryouko... She always kikes to criticize others, but she forgets important things in difficult times..."

"Tell me what operation will take place tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, you see-" Mildred's explanation was interrupted even before it could begin. A hand was covering her mouth, keeping her from talking no matter how hard she tried.

Origami looked up to see the owner of that hand, and frowned even more deeply upon seeing that it was Jessica.

"Hold your words, Prep Officer. That's confidential information you were about to say."

Seeing the blonde's confused face, the redhead came up to whisper something to her ear. Moments later, "Milly" turned to look at Origami and spoke in a tone of apology.

"I'm sorry, Origami. It seems you don't have permission to know..."

"What do you mean?"

The redhead stood between the two, not letting Mildred talk anymore. "Hehe, it means what you just heard. If you have any complaints, go talk to your superior."

With that said, Jessica left the scene and Mildrd fled to go deliver the documents.

Origami finished her work quickly, unable to remove the matter from her mind. She wanted to go back to her apartment to practice for tomorrow's concert, and no one seemed to want to tell her about that mission she couldn't participate in.

When she was changing in the dressing room to go home, the door to the room opened and Ryouko entered.

"Captain Kusakabe..."

The AST captain ignored Origami and sat on the bench behind Origami. She opened the coffee can she was carrying with her and took a sip calmly.

"Ah... It's frustrating to deal with those smug foreigners. Since this room is empty, I'm going to complain out loud."

Origami turned to look at her with her eyes squinted. Needless to say, that behavior was really strange. The only thing she could think of was that this was her way of telling her about that mysterious operation.

Ryouko paid her no attention and continued with her "monologue". "Tomorrow, September 23 at 1500 hours, the third combat unit will break into Tenguu Square. The goal is to capture the girl named Yatogami Tohka, suspected of being the spirit with the code name "Princess"."

"What..." What she said surprised Origami so much that her stoic expression broke for a few moments.

That was the unit that consisted of the members of DEM, and more important, at that time musical performances would be taking place.

But, Ryouko continued. "... and, arrest the high school student, Itsuka Shidou."

Origami's heart skipped a beat hearing that name. "Why?" Although she asked, she already knew the answer.

Itsuka Shidou, the person who has strange powers, who can steal the power of a spirit, and who was involved in various incidents with spirits. After the interrogation she was subjected to, it was quite likely that that company would have targeted him.

If they catch him, who knows what they'll do to him...

"Ahh, tomorrow's operation will be very exhausting. So exhausting that I may forget to lock the second hangar's door. Repairs on the "White Licorice" were finished recently, but I doubt anyone will go near that thing. After all, there's no one here who can use it..."

After finishing the monologue, she got up to leave, not before whispering, "the rest is up to you, Origami."

The albino girl was left alone in the room. Her fists were closed to the point that it would not be surprising if they started to bleed.

"Tsk." She was careless, and because of that, now that macabre enterprise was behind Shidou... But, she wasn't going to sit idly by.

Her expression changed to a full of resolve as she rose to leave.

"This time, I will be the one saving him."

* * *

September 23. The Tenou Festival finally began, and Tenguu Square was filled with people in a matter of seconds. Students from all schools, as well as university students, students' relatives and residents of the city came to witness what could be said to be the most important event in the city.

In halls 1 and 2 were all food-related stalls, while in halls 3 and 4 were events related to after-school clubs and things like haunted houses.

In view of the battle against Rindouji All-Girls Private Academi, the Raizen Academy decided to give everything in these sections. Above all, in the first category previously mentioned.

A drop of sweat ran down the back of Itsuka Shidou's neck. The reason was...

"The tux suits you perfectly, Itsuka-kun. Now, try doing the pose I told you about earlier."

Yamabuki Ai, his classmate, made a request after finishing fitting his bow tie.

"Like this..."

The golden-eyed boy, despite having his doubts, did what Ai asked. He put his feet together, raised his back, raised his right arm with a napkin slightly, smiled with his teeth and winked an eye.

The effect was instantaneous. Yamabuki Ai's cheeks, which were already quite flushed, were now almost glowing, and Mai and Mii were not far behind.

"This is too powerful... I didn't think the fake janitor would fit into the butler's role so well..."

"This should be illegal. With this, the girls will come like moths to our post."

Shidou's eyebrow trembled at the comments of the three girls dressed as French maids. They must be exaggerating, right?

His eyes looked at the mirror in the dressing room. There he saw himself, dressed in a black tuxedo, with a white shirt under his jacket, black bow tie, black shoes, and white gloves. His hair, normally scrambled, was combed backwards, like when he was a servant.

Not that he had much sense of fashion, but even he could say that the suit they had chosen for him looked pretty good on him. But, he doubted that the thing was as they said.

"Yamabuki-san, please, could you remind me of the purpose of this?"

His words brought the girl out of her trance. She seemed to be daydreaming, but Shidou couldn't guess what she was thinking.

"Aah... You really are dense... We will explain it again. We chose for our stand in this section a maid cafe. With girls like Tohka-chan or the Yamai sisters on our side, no boy will resist coming to our cafe."

She paused, and Mai took over. "With all the pretty girls we have, only boys interested in other boys or older women wouldn't come to our cafe. However, our opponent is an academy that only admits girls, so our target audience is the same."

Finally, Mii took care of finishing the explanation. "That's where you come in, Itsuka-kun. With an attractive butler leading the maids service, there won't be just boys coming to hit on our girls. Female students will also be attracted to our stablishment. It's an infallible strategy."

"Well... that's a valid point..." Shidou didn't sound too convinced.

He understood the reasoning. The more customers they attract, the more likely they were to win. What he didn't understand was, why him? Wasn't there anyone more suited to the role? According to Tonomachi, he was the top 10 in the ranking of boys in his school. Those other nine guys who were above him should be better candidates for this role.

He'd rather have been in the kitchen. Not that he was an expert at making coffee, but if things got ugly, he could always reinforce the coffee beans and pancakes.

Or he could go sweep up the kendo competition. He would be destroying the dreams of all participants, but this year he had a legitimate reason.

"Relax. You will do a wonderful job. You just have to trust yourself, Itsuka-kun." Ai tried to encourage him after seeing his complicated expression.

He showed her a soft smile. "Thank you, Yamabuki-san. I guess it's time to go to the outside."

After saying that, the auburn-haired boy with some white locks set out to go outside the building.

"You could call me by my name..." A hopeless whisper came from Ai when she saw him coming out the door.

What Shidou found when he came out of the "Maid Cafe Raizen" was a row of about eleven girls dressed in the same French maid dress worn by the Ai-Mai-Mii trio. Among them were Tohka, Kaguya and Yuzuru.

When the girls saw him, they sundenly began to clap and whistle, which increased his internal shame. If he had to describe the situation, it looked like he was the groom who had just arrived at the church.

"Ooh! You really look good in that suit."

"Kuku... As expected from Shidou. With that look you will steal the souls of the customers."

"Praise. Now Shidou finally looks like a real man of the house."

He ended up smiling awkwardly at all the comments they were making. "You guys look good in those dresses too... Oh, by the way, where's Origami? She's not here yet?"

"Hnn? Now that you mention it, I haven't seen Tobichi Origami anywhere."

The other girls answered similar things to what Tohka said. Although Origami looked excited at school yesterday, at least for people who could appreciate the slight changes in her stoic face, no one had seen her in the festival.

"Well as long as she gets to the musical performance I won't complain. We can always ask Itsuka-kun to call Shiori-san to cover her place."

Ai, who had just come out of the cafe, unwittingly made a rather complicated request for Shirou.

"Anyway, we're all ready for this."

With that said, they all fixed their eyes on Shidou, who according to them was leading the maids.

He took it as his turn to give an inspirational speech before the customers arrived. Not that he was very good at speeches, but they all seemed to trust him. Tracing Merodach, the sword that chose him as king, would help compensate for his lack of charisma, but obviously he couldn't do that here, so he would have to improvise.

"Ahem~" After clearing his throat, Shidou raised his right fist toward the horizon. "Victory lies ahead! Raizen Academy will win the first award of this festival once and for all! And for that, we will give our best to conquer the hearts of all the customers!"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!"

All the girls shouted and raised their fists with enthusiasm. Morale was an important aspect in large-scale battles, and that was not lacking in the Raizen students.

The maids and the butler immediately went to their posts, and the customers soon began to arrive.

The ones in charge of attracting customers were the group formed by Shidou, the sisters Yamai and Tohka.

"Come, come here, it's fun! Although it isn't Shidou's food... But it's also delicious!"

"Kuku... This is the way that leads to the hell's pot. Do you think you can endure it, mortals?"

"Inform. This is the menu system."

All three, even though at times it seemed like they were saying things to scare away customers instead of attracting them, were doing their job incredibly well. People, mostly boys, were huddling to enter the maid cafe.

Comparing the number of people arriving at the Raizen maid cafe with the other stands in the hall, you could say that things were going very well.

"I didn't think a maid cafe would be such an effective choice..."

Watching the scene, Shidou felt a weight lift from his back. If everything goes as planned, he'd have to give credit to the Ai-Mai-Mii trio.

"Hey sir, you work here?"

A voice behind him pulled the butler out of his spiral of thoughts. As he turned around, he found a group of girls looking at him with anticipation.

They were about nine girls of quite different appearances, but seeing that they all wore the same dark blue school uniform, Shidou could guess that they all attended the same academy.

"Oh..." Just about to answer, he stopped. He remembered the way to attract female customers that Ai instructed him. He wasn't sure if it would work, but he had to prove it at least.

He smiled and winked as he had practiced in front of the mirror moments before. "That's right. I am the butler of this maid cafe. Would you like a table, ladies?"

The effect was immediate again. For some reason, they all blushed and looked away.

An uncomfortable silence followed afterwards. Shidou did his best to keep the smile on his face as little forced as possible, but it was difficult. From the reaction they had, he wouldn't be surprised if they ran away and called the police to report him as a stalker.

Finally, the one who seemed to be the most mature of all, a girl with blonde hair tied in a ponytail and blue eyes, stepped forward to speak.

"Yes. We'd like to order a table for nine, if it's possible."

"Very well then. Follow me. The maids will attend tyou-"

When Shidou was turning to guide the group of girls, one of the girls interrupted him. She was shorter than the others, with black hair tied in twin tails and red eyes.

"Wait! Aren't you going to be the one serving us?" Her question not only surprised Shidou, but also her friends, who got a little nervous.

"Hey, hey, don't you think you're being too direct, Nico-senpai!?"

"What are you talking about? He's the perfect target. A natural lady-killer and also very-"

Her speach was left unfinished when one of her companions, a girl with short red hair and purple eyes, covered her mouth with her hand.

"Excuse her. She's too energetic when it comes to these kind of issues." The red-haired girl apologized while putting on an ankward smile.

"I see..." Shidou didn't understand what she meant by the latter, but decided not to ask questions.

"Anyway. At the moment, my task is to attract customers to our establishment. But, as a butler, it is also my duty to serve customers. If you want, when your orders are taken, tell my companions that you want me to serve you the food."

"Thank you! We really appreciate it."

After saying that, the girls went into the maid cafe, dragging the twin-tailed girl. Shidou thought he heard something like "we have to ask him his phone number," but decided to ignore it.

The important thing was that the strategy had really worked, and had gotten more clients for the Raizen Academy stand. He had to work hard to match the number of clients the girls were attracting.

"Things seem to be going very well, Shin..." Someone spoke to him again, but this time, it was a familiar voice.

"Ahh, Reine-san. So you came..."

Indeed, it was Murasame Reine who was there, wearing casual clothes that for once didn't include a lab coat. What surprised him, however, was the person accompanying her.

Next to her was a girl with aquamarine blue hair wearing a straw hat and in her left hand was a rabbit puppet. Currently, she was hiding her slightly flushed face under the hat wing.

"Oh... so you came to accompany Yoshino, huh?"

Reine nodded in confirmation. Yoshino seemed enthusiastic about coming to the festival after she was told what Shidou was doing these days that kept him away from home for quite some time, so Shidou was not surprised that she came.

But, she was being much more shy than usual. Over the past few months, she was already able to hold conversations without stuttering a lot and maintain eye contact, which was a breakthrough. But right now, she was avoiding making eye contact with Shidou.

"Um... is something wrong, Yoshino?"

She didn't respond, so the puppet, Yoshinon, did it instead. "Don't worry, Shidou-kun. Yoshino-chan is just a little surprised to see you dressed like a gentleman. Besides, I must add that Shidou-kun looks really good in that outfit."

"Oh, is that so?"

Yoshino nodded vigorously. "Yeah... I think you look great in that outfit..."

"Well... since you came here, why don't you go in the cafe? I can assure you that the cooks do even better than I do."

"That would be nice. But, it looks like a pretty long queue was formed, Shin."

Both Yoshino and Shidou looked at the cafe's door, and as Reine said, a queue of about twenty people had formed as they spoke.

"You don't have to worry. If you come with me, you won't have to wait in line."

The two followed Shidou, who led the way into the establishment and led them to a small table.

Some of the people in the queue sent them some annoying looks, but a glance from Shidou was enough to keep them from opening their mouths.

Before Shidou returned outside the building, Yoshino wished him luck. "The presentation... I'm also waiting for the musical performances... Do your best... Shidou-san."

"Yes. I'll do my best."

The hours passed without any major incident. The flow of customers was continuous, and even growing with time. There came a time when the queue of customers waiting to enter became quite long, so Shidou, Tohka, Kaguya and Yuzuru entered the building to act as waiters.

You could say the business was going downwind.

"Hnn?" All of a sudden, a lot of people huddled at the café door and a great buzz began to form.

People weren't trying to get into the cafe, but seemed to be surrounding something, or someone.

Tohka stopped while carrying a tray of cupcakes to look confused at the crowding. "What's going on out there? Are we being attacked by the enemy?"

"I doubt it's anything like that. But I'll go check it out anyway and see what happens." Shidou, who was not serving an order at the time, offered to handle the situation.

The golden-eyed boy was surprised when he saw the scene at the door of the cafe maid.

A familiar girl with silver eyes and violet hair walked, or at least tried, towards the cafe with a compound air. She was surrounded by girls dressed in blue sailor uniforms, and a lot of paparazzi and TV cameras followed her.

Tohka actually hit the spot with her guess.

Shidou raised an eyebrow. What had Izayoi Miku come here to do? If she came to spy on the enemy's movements, she certainly wasn't being very discreet.

The idol noticed his presence, and immediately put on a face as if she had just sucked a lemon. But, she approached him despite how reluctant she seemed anyway.

"Hoh? To what do we owe the visit of a famous idol to this humble cafe?" Shidou received her with a professional smile, maintaining his butler facade.

Miku snarled, seemingly not wanting to acknowledge the person in front of her. "Hmph, normally I wouldn't waste my air on someone like you. However, if I remember correctly, your name is Itsuka Shidou, isn't it? Tell me, you are related to Itsuka Shiori by any chance?"

Like the last time, her tone towards him was totally derogatory. Anyone would think she was talking to the world's worst scum.

That caused a stir in the people around Miku. She chatting with a man was unthinkable, so the journalists started asking questions euphorically.

Shidou, seeing that they couldn't talk quietly, narrowed his eyes and released some murderous intent. The place plunged into silence instantly, with everyone except Miku holding their breath.

"You're bothering the customers. You better get out of my sight if you don't want me to kick you out myself."

Both the journalists and Miku's entourage left without a word. The people in the queue behind the butler thanked him now that they could breathe at ease without so many people huddling.

The golden eyes met the silver eyes again. "Coming back to the subject, yes, she is my cousin. Do you have any business with her?"

"Yes. I want you to call her right now."

"Oh, and why should I? Right now, we're both busy, you know?"

Miku squinted menacingly. _"I said call Itsuka Shiori and get lost."_

She tried to use her "voice" but in that moment, she remembered that the person in front of her, like Shiori, was immune to her power. A rather odd coincidence, but she wasn't in the mood to think about it.

Shidou looked at her silently for a few moments, but finally shrugged. "Fine. I'll tell her you want to talk to her."

After saying that, he walked into the maid cafe.

About five minutes later, Miku was still waiting in front of the cafe.

Despite being a celebrity, people queuing to get in avoided looking into her eyes because of the angry face she was making.

Her patience was wearing thin. Was that disgusting man pullind her leg?

She was about to walk into the cafe to go yell at that pervert, but she was stopped by someone talking to her.

"Yo! Did I make you wait, Miku-san?"

The idol turned to see a Shiori-san dressed as a maid walking towards her. Upon seeing her, her expression turned 180 degrees and she smiled sweetly. Her eyes practically devoured the girl in front of her.

"No. Other than having to deal with that cousin of yours, the wait wasn't long. More importantly, that dress looks really good on you, Shiori-san. Very cute. When you're mine, I'll make you dress it quite often."

At the end of her speech, she licked her lips. "Shiori" couldn't stop "her" eyebrow from shaking for a moment.

The reason it had taken longer than expected was because he didn't expected the costume Kotori had prepared for him being a maid version. Putting on the dress for the first time was no easy task.

"Hmph, I see you are really confident on your victory."

"Of course. After today's performances, Shiori-san and the spirits will be mine. Therefore, I came to ask you on a date. To have a taste of the rare Shiori-san that doesn't belong to me before that changes."

"A date...?" That surprised Shiroi, but she immediately shook "her" head and smiled with confidence. "We'll see about that. Raizen Academy is not going to lose easily. However, I will take your offer. Lead the way."

And with that, "Shiori" was dragged through all the stalls in halls 1 and 2.

People who saw them might think they were childhood friends having a good time. How wrong they were.

Although there was no tension between them as would be expected, Shidou was anything but comfortable. Miku was being even more aggressive than the other times, in the sense that she was being quite sticky.

They even gave each other an indirect kiss while eating some crepes.

"Shiori-san, Shiori-san, look at that. It's the ring game. Let's try it out."

Eventually, the two arrived at a wide booth where there was a red carpet with several awards.

"Rings, huh?"

"Yes~ Tell me which one you want. I'll get it for you."

"Huh? Then that one..." "Shiori" pointed to a random stuffed animal, which turned out to be a cat.

Miku gave the money to the student who was on the job and received three rings to throw. The game was simple. She had to match at least one of the rings to the stuffed animal in order to take it.

"Hoiyaa! Haii! Soryaa!" She threw all three rings with pretty cute cheerful screams. However, that proved that this was not her thing, because she did not succeed with any of the rings.

"Oh my, this is harder than I thought."

_"This is your chance, Shidou. Since Miku was failed, it is your turn to get her one of the stuffed animals."_

Shidou nodded to Kotori's instructions. Although sealing her powers would be decided through their competition, raising her level of affection would be good. Even if he wins the bet, it won't do any good if Miku isn't in love with "Shiori" and therefore her powers can't be sealed.

He assumed it was time to demonstrate his skills as an archer. "Miku, let me-"

But, before he could say it, she used her "voice". _"Please give me that plushie."_

The student's eyes lost their shine, and without saying a word, she took the stuffed cat and gave it to the idol. Miku took it happily and offered it to "Shiori".

"Here you go, Shiori-san."

Shidou looked at her with "her" eyes narrowed, without taking the plush. "Miku-san, that's wrong."

"Are...? Why is that so?" She tilted her head confused. She didn't really see anything wrong with her actions.

"You can't just take what you want from others. You're going to cause them problems. You have to earn the prize cleanly."

"Is that so? Shouldn't this girl be happy to give me the stuffed animal?"

Again, the discussion returned to that issue. Shidou had to make an effort not to sigh in frustration.

"Things aren't like that in the real world, Miku. You have to learn that using your power has consequences."

"Hmph. I don't need that. Humans are my pawns and toys. Shiori-san doen't have to worry about them. After all, you're a special existence that I admit directly, you know? Disposable humans can do whatever they want."

Shidou this time clenched his teeth to try to relax. He heard lines like that one from magi and dead apostles, and he really didn't like those guys.

"I'm going to win that bet, and I'm going to make you talk as equals to the humans you call inferior."

"Humans you say~ I've talked to them a lot, and they say very strange things."

"Heh. If you keep underestimating humanity like that, you're gonna end up falling on your face."

The same thing happened to the gods, who ended up disappearing or being reduced to mere wandering spirits when their era ended and the age of man began. He really couldn't get along with Goldie, but he had to give it to him for initiating the end of the age of the gods.

Miku showed a scornful smile. "What are you talking about? Humans are nothing more than mere puppets that I can handle to my liking. This is something I only use when something interests me and I can't get it. But, anyway, I'll let you try."

"What do you mean?"

"Fufufu~ Although it's a waste, I'll finish the date here. I'll be waiting for you on stage, Shiori-san... That is, if you can show up on stage..."

After leaving those cryptic words, Miku left the place with the stuffed animal. Shidou did the same, and returned to the café to continue his role as butler until the time of the concert.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Shidou understood the meaning behind those words.

"What do you mean you're not coming!?"

Shidou, disguised as Shiori-chan's maid version, shouted at the mobile phone with a betrayed face.

It was almost time for musical performances, and he and Tohka were the only ones that were backstage behind the main stage.

Origami hadn't shown up all day, and she wasn't answering her phone. Something really weird, since knowing her, she'd answer his calls without a second thought.

It was then that he received a call from Ai, and she told him that the Ai-Mai-Mii trio would stay in the cafe and not participate in the performances.

_"Huh? That's because Onee-sama told us not to participate."_

"Huh!?" Before he could say anything else the call was cut off.

It didn't take him long to connect the dots. "That girl..."

However, there was no time to curse. The situation looked very bad. While it was true that they didn't need to beat Miku, they at least had to secure a good place in musical performances.

If they were disqualified for not showing up, then the chances of getting the first place were zero.

Shidou quickly touched the intercom in his ear. "Did you hear that, Kotori?"

_"Yes. That girl really played us."_

"You remember we agreed not to cheat so as not to ruin her mood? Screw that. If she's going to play dirty, then I won't hesitate to crush her using everything we have at our disposal."

_"I totally agree. We'll resort to plan B, lip synch. We've already infiltrated some of our personal in the mechanics department. When your turn comes, Shidou, relax and match the song."_

"Understood. But, we still need more members to be able to participate."

_"You're right about that... Although getting a whole band together is impossible, I can still send two persons. I'll send a couple replacements, so meet them."_

"Wait. If you send people who aren't Raizen students, we'll be disqualified anyway."

_"You worry too much about these kind of things, although that's a good thing. Don't worry. They're two people you know pretty well. She dared to underestimate us, so we're going to hit back ten times harder."_

With that said, the communication ended. Just then, Tohka, who had been listening to the whole conversation, grabbed "Shiori" by the hand and dragged him out of the dressing rooms.

"Huh? What is it, Tohka?"

"Umu, Miku's presentation is about to start."

"Miku..."

As she said, when they looked out to see the stage, there in the center was Miku. From the clothing of all the people on stage, their presentation must have a theme about the sea.

Miku seemed to notice them, and dedicated to "Shiori" a smug smile. Shidou couldn't help but click his tongue.

_"This is a good opportunity to see the strength of the enemy. There's still time until the replacements arrive, and we won't gain anything by heating our heads too much."_

"Well, you have a point..."

Next to him, Tohka practically had stars in her eyes as she watched the dancers and the idol get ready.

"VIP seats, yay!"

Even though they were the enemy, and their fate depended on these introductions, she was really excited.

The presentation of Rindouji All-Girls Private Academi soon began. All the spotlights were lit and Miku, the main star of the show without doubt, and she began to sing.

Although it was not the first time that Shidou listened to her singing, it was still impressive. Whether her beautiful voice was natural or due to her power as a spirit was debatable, but it was certainly a truly charming voice.

Soon after, the spotlight revealed the other dancers, and Miku joined them, leading the beat. Practically no one paid attention to the other participants in the performance. Izayoi Miku was the absolute center of the show. Although, that's to be expected.

Although Shidou could understand that such concerts caused a wild euphoria in the audience, he couldn't bring himself to enjoy the perfomance.

Maybe it was because his mind was in battle mode right now, and all he could think about was analyzing the opponent. Or perhaps it was because he thought he didn't deserve to enjoy this kind of thing.

In contrast to him, Tohka was enjoying the concert to the fullest. Their expressions could not be more opposite.

When the song was reaching its climax, suddenly all the lights went out and the music stopped. The stage was left in complete darkness, and people in the audience began to murmur to each other concerned.

"Was that you Kotori?" Shidou asked to the intercom.

It might be a coincidence that the entire stage electrical system stopped working in the middle of Miku's performance, but he saw it more likely to be the work of his little sister.

_"That's correct. We played with the equipment in the room a little bit. I'll restart it when things calm down, and I'll disconnect it again if the audience gets excited."_

Kotori's speech was followed by a diabolical laugh.

A drop of sweat fell down Shidou's neck. Kotori was really enjoying this. Although he didn't want to admit it, he was beginning to think she had a fetish.

"Shadi Al Kai!"

"Eh?"

The voice of surprise came not only from Shidou, but from all the people watching the stage.

A light appeared in the middle of the stage. Said light enveloped Miku's body, and the next moment, her costume had been replaced by her astral dress.

"What the...!? What the hell is she thinking? She really is showing her astral dress in public!?"

However, to Shidou's relief, who already feared they would have to erase the memories of all the people in the place, the public seemed to mistake the phenomenon for some kind of advanced technology. Which was worse for him, because all the people started screaming full of excitement.

"The show is just starting! _Gabriel_!"

Miku's voice echoed in the room without the need for a microphone. The entire room was illuminated with all the spiritual energy that she and her angel were giving off, and a series of metal tubes resembling an organ filled the room.

In magi terms, the stage is now Miku's workshop. A space where she had absolute control.

She managed to make the blackout seem like part of the show itself, and continued singing and dancing as if nothing had happened.

The song finally came to an end. Miku returned to her dressing room cleaning her sweat.

Apparently, using her power had taken its toll. Needless to say, the audience applauded and cheered her to death.

Her performance had been a resounding success. That was the enormous power they had to overcome. Thinking about that was quite demoralizing.

Tohka, after clapping until her hands turned red, looked at "Shiori". His serious expression had not changed at any time.

"Come on, Shidou, cheer up. If you don't, there's no way we can even get near her."

Shidou simply sighed. At times like this, it was impossible for him not to be serious and share Tohka's enthusiasm.

"Kuku... It can't be. The always full of resolution Shidou is now retreating?"

"Announcement. Don't worry. Kaguya and Yuzuru have come to solve your problems."

The two were greeted by a pair of identical sisters in maid dresses when they were returning to the dressing rooms to pull themselves together.

"Shiori" raised an eyebrow. "Kaguya, Yuzuru... what are you doing here?"

"Kuku. We heard from Kotori that you are in a bind. So, let the Yamais lend you our power."

"Support. So let us join the band. This time, it's our turn to save Shidou."

"Oh, so you are the replacements Kotori sent... Do you know how to play an instrument?"

The twins did not respond with words. Instead, they turned to the instruments prepared at the end of the room. Kaguya sat on the drums Ai was going to play, and Yuzuru grabbed the bass.

Both performed an improvisation that left Shidou and Tohka in awe.

Well, that made sense. According to them, they had been having all kinds of confrontations, so perhaps they had also competed with instruments.

Things were not so gloomy now.

* * *

The clock struck 15:00, the time the targets would be on stage.

Jessica chuckled as she flew over the roof of the Tenguu Arena. "Well then, is everyone ready?"

Seconds later, she received affirmative answers from the other nine "Adeptus" accompanying her on this mission.

All of them carried enchanted weapons of the highest caliber, and next to them, there were a total of 40 "Bandersnatch" dolls. All the firepower was being aimed at where the spirit "Princess" and Itsuka Shidou would be.

Their original mission was to fight Itsuka Shidou while "Adeptus 1" captures "Princess", but they needed the target to be a spirit for the mission to put up a facade of legal procediment.

However, it was impossible for those two to escape unharmed a surprise attack like that. Capturing the two damaged targets would be a lot easier. They were going to kill two birds with one stone, almost literally, and save Ellen Mathers the trouble.

Surely, a lot of people were going to die in that attack. But the very thought that they would be contributing to her beloved Isaac Westtcot's plan made Jessica completely forget that detail.

"Good. It's time for the party to begin!"

All DEM members aimed their laser cannons and prepared to open fire...

However...

"Wah-!"

Before they could attack, a huge magic signature entered their radars. Seconds later, several "Bandersnatch" were cut into pieces, their territories pierced as if they were not there.

The face of the Wizards paled as they saw this immense power. But the signature they had detected was not spiritual power, but mana.

"This is... don't tell me!" Jessica turned alarmed to look in the direction the firm came from.

There she saw a white flying tank, armed with the most powerful weapons men had ever created. The culmination of the power achieved through Realizer technology. And at its controls, there was an albino girl that Jessica knew.

"Impossible! That little brat is really using the "White Licorice"!" The very idea of someone like her using the CR-Unit that crippled countless Wizards was absurd.

Origami remained silent as she prepared the huge cannons on her back.

"Switch targets! Counterattack!"

At the orders of "Adeptus 3" all the firepower that was to be fired at the Tenguu Arena was fired at Tobiichi Origami.

Her figure was hidden among all the explosions and the smoke generated. People around town thought they were throwing fireworks.

After about two minutes of explosions, the fire stopped. The wizards relaxed as they saw that Origami was not coming out of the smoke. It was impossible for her to come out unscathed from such an attack... or so they thought.

Several cries of surprise were heard among Jessica's underlings. Some of the Wizards had been locked up in territories that were not theirs. Their bodies were completely paralyzed.

"What is going on?"

At that time, the smoke screen was scattered, rebelling an Origami with all the weapons of her Unit-CR ready to be fired.

"All units ready. Fire!"

The White Licorice suddenly deployed all its offensive power. It was like a whirlwind of unstoppable destruction. Laser beams and missiles shot down the paralyzed Wizards and most of the "Bandersnatch".

Origami watched with calm as the Wizards who had managed to evade the attack tried to regroup. She would not allow them.

With this power, no matter if they were DEM Wizards or those dolls, she wasn't going to lose.

* * *

Finally it was the turn of Tohka, Kaguya, Yuzuru and "Shiori" to take the stage.

The four were still in their maid costumes as they had no outfits prepared for the Yamai sisters, and so they were all dressed all the same.

Kaguya and Yuzuru prepared themselves with their instruments they had proven to master, while Shidou prepared his electric guitar and Tohka a tambourine.

The three spirits showed not a shred of nerves, in contrast to "Shiori" who took deep breaths to calm down.

Doing things in front of a lot of people wasn't something he was used to, so finding himself suddenly standing in front of thousands of people was quite uncomfortable. The tension he felt now could not compare with some of the battles he had fought, but it was still considerable.

Of course, anyone who looked at "her" would see a poker face that would make "her" a lot of money.

The moment of truth had come. With this, the battle between Raizen Academy and Rindouji Academy would be decided.

_"... Below follows the presentation of the Raizen academy __metropolitan __band!"_

The announcement of the speaker was followed by a round of applause. All the spotlights pointed to the four maids. There was no turning back.

"Shiori" gave one last sigh. "Here we go... _I am the bone of my sword._"

After whispering the first verse of his aria to focus his mind, he approached the microphone and let his right hand with the spike fall on the guitar strings.

Of course, the microphones wasn't working in order to perform the lip sync.

Just after "Shiori" started playing, Tohka accompanied his rhythm with the tambourine, and the brilliant talent of the Yamais began to be heard behind him.

The song began with a brief prelude with no lyrics that they would have to play, but that part was covered quite impeccably. The hours Shidou spent practicing with the tutor had paid off, so he wasn't a burden for the Yamai sister.

Everything was going well, but then, an unforeseen event happened.

When the lyrics of the song were supposed to be played over the speakers, nothing sound. "Shiori's" poker face almost dropped for a few moments.

"What's going on, Kotori!?" Shidou asked, as he was forced to improvise to maintain the prelude.

_"It's an emergency! A part of the electrical wiring has been damaged by someone! The recording we had prepared does not work!"_

"What!?" Shidou's eyes widened.

Miku had been able to predict what they were going to do? But that didn't make sense! If so, she shouldn't have the need to resort to trying to disqualify them for lack of members! Was it his E-rank luck dealing him a bad hand at an important time!?

_"You're going to have to sing it yourself! I'll turn on the microphones in a few seconds!"_

"Shiori" swallowed loudly. Sweat was beginning to fall on "her" forehead. It goes without saying that singing wasn't something "she" was good at, even with the help of the voice modulator.

But, there was no other choice.

He turned to look sideways at Kaguya and Yuzuru for a few seconds, and they understood what he meant. They improvised until they repeated the final part of the original prelude, and "Shiori" opened his mouth.

"_There's a hidden wish in my left hand... that remains as a mere wish... while I see an unending dream..."_

He was able to recite the first line without going flat. It was better than he expected, but from the raised eyebrows and tilted heads in the audience, he knew it wasn't going so well.

When Shidou went on singing, he ended up going blank. Although he wanted to keep trying, his mind told him that this was unsustainable and another plan had to be thought of. They were going to need a miracle...

And that miracle happened.

_"There's an empty memory in my right hand... memories of an unknown world's end... stuck by an unending rain..."_

A lovely voice sang the following line. It did not resemble the original singer, but it was certainly much better than "Shiori's".

Shidou glanced sideways at the owner of that voice, and was surprised to see that it was Tohka. She was singing joyfully as she shook her tambourine to the rhythm of the song. Even the faces of the audience were illuminated when they heard her.

Tohka then turned to look at Shidou, giving him a bright smile. She was trying to encourage and support him in her own way, infecting him with her immense enthusiasm and vigor.

Then he understood it. The difference between him and Tohka when singing. While she was letting out her emotions while doing it and having fun, he must have looked like a malfunctioning robot.

_"The strenght to protect what I want to protect... and the weackness of not being able to trust that ability..."_

Tohka stopped singing, inviting Shidou to take on. At that moment, an emotion he hardly knew came up in him. A smile ended up forming on his lips.

_"I'll accept it all while I search my tomorrow..."_

The song reached its climax, and both sang the chorus together.

_"Brave Shine! When I reach out my hand... Stay the night!_

_"On a night covered in scars, you save my life!"_

_"My feelings gather at the top of the blade I hold..."_

_"My prayers will go beyond time..."_

_"Your brave shine..."_

As he sang, Shidou could understand what were those emotions that he was feeling. He... was having fun... He was enjoying the moment...

And the most unbelievable thing for him was that he actually wanted to keep doing it. He wanted to keep having fun next to Tohka, and also Kaguya and Yuzuru...

He... the person who always thought he didn't deserve this kind of things... wanting to have fun. It really sounded like a bad joke, but... those were his true feelings right now.

Maybe it was because he felt related to the song that Kotori had gotten for them... Maybe it was because they had become important people to him without him noticing... But, he wanted to enjoy the moment.

And that's what he did. He stopped thinking about battles and consequences, and he just had fun.

Their performance reached its end. The audience burst into applause and cheering, similar to when Miku's performance ended.

Their performance was much worse than the original song, but, with the enthusiasm they had put into it, and the aura of the spirits, one could say that they managed to conquer the audience.

As they were the last to participate, soon after all the participants gathered on stage and the announcement of the positions on the leaderboard in which each academy were began.

The announcer reached the second place, and neither the Raizen Academi nor Rindouji All-Girls Academi had been nominated. It could be... that they managed to work the miracle...?

"In second place, for very little... the Raizen Academy!"

"Shiori" closed "her" eyes accepting the result. It was something "she" already expected anyway. However...

"And, taking the laurels of first place in the stage division! The strongest! The queen! Rindouji All-Girls Academi!"

A loud ovation echoed throughout Tenguu Arena that made even the amosphere tremble.

"Shidou..." Tohka approached him with an expression of sadness and guilt. He could already guess that she was blaming herself for this outcome.

"Shiori" stroked her hair and showed her a confident smile. "Don't worry, Tohka. Everything is going as planned."

Tohka tilted her head in confusion, but before she could ask, a voice interrupted them.

"See?"

Shidou's expression became one of seriousness before turning to face the enemy.

Izayoi Miku approached them with a triumphant smile and a smug expression. "Isn't this exactly what I said? This is what happens to you when you trust humans."

She was surely expecting that "she" would try to refute it, or even beg. However, "Shiori" gave her a mocking smile.

"Don't count your chikens before they are hatched, Miku-san. You haven't won yet."

"Huh?"

Shidou didn't have to bother clearing up her confusion. The event host saved him the trouble.

"And with that, all in all, the winner of the first place of Tenou Festival's first day, it has been decided to be... Raizen academy!"

Shidou couldn't deny that seeing the face of total surprise and disbelief that Miku made was satisfying. Kotori may have influenced him more than he thought.

"It was actually a very unexpected outcome. Although Rindouji Academy's magnificent performance to which the others could not approach achieved first place in the stage division, it seems that this year their division of exhibitions and food stalls was boring."

"Huh!?" Miku shook her head back and forth, seemingly unable to process her defeat.

"Taking this opportunity, Raizen who has taken second place in the stage division got the push. Especially, the Maid Cafe in the food stand division got a huge amount of votes! This provoked some controversy during the review, but the enthusiastic push of the executive members gave them victory!"

Hearing that, the faces of the spirits were illuminated with joy and embraced each other, including "Shiori".

"We won!"

The presenters proceeded to the awards ceremony, but Shidou ignored them and turned his attention to Miku. Her expresió looked like a broken mirror, still unable to assimilate reality.

"What is this...? Please don't joke with me... This is strange... There's no way I can lose..."

"Do you need me to explain why you lost?"

Miku raised her head to look at "Shiori", who had dropped "her" mocking smile and looked at her with a solemn one.

"I... I am Izayoi Miku, you know? I can't lose..."

"You lost for a simple reason. I had my doubts when I accepted the bet, but I confirmed my predictions after visiting your academy's stalls. You decided to spend the entire budget on your performance, and you forgot about the other events of the day. On the contrary, knowing that I couldn't to beat you in your game, I decided that we would spend most of the budget on the other events. Did you really think I was going to accept your proposal without a backup plan?"

"I don't care about those things! I won fair and square I... Even though I won...!"

Fair and square his ass. "In short... As hypocritical as it may sound coming from me, the cause of your lost was not trusting others and thinking you could do everything all by yourself."

This time, Shidou could see that his words managed to reach her. Although, the effect was not what he wanted...

"Comrades... Trust in others... Don't give me that nonsense! There's no way that humans are so useful! That kind of thing doesn't make sense in front of me!"

After releasing all her rage, she stepped on the ground with force and shouted the name of her angel. "Gabriel!"

The floor in front of her was distorted, and a set of tubes like the ones he saw during her show appeared. Being so far removed from the concept of "sword" Shidou couldn't get a read of it. But, that didn't take him to know that things were going to get ugly.

"What are you doing!? Stop!" Shidou's concern was more than justified. People in the audience were seeing everything, and this time, they realized something was not right here.

Miku ignored "Shiori" and waved her hand in front of her. Her spiritual energy took the form of a piano keyboard, and she hit the keys violently.

"Sing, sing, sing! GABRIEL!"

All the tubes emitted a deafening roar. Sound waves were even visible in the air from the potent they were.

"Guh!" Shidou gritted his teeth as he concentrated all his magical energy on repelling the spiritual energy that was trying to invade him. If the spell was completed, the magic resistance would be useless.

A few seconds later, the sound stopped. Shidou looked around, but there was no commotion. All the people in the Tenguu Arena were staring at Miku, not saying a word. Everyone's eyes were completely empty of emotions.

"Ino way..." "Shiori" looked at the culprit with narrowed eyes. "What did you do to them?" The question came out in such a cold tone that even Miku shuddered.

After pulling herself together, the idol showed a twisted smile. "Fufu... Companions... That's something that can be easily broken... As I just did! Now all those companions of yours belong to me! All those bonds, I broke them by just moving my fingers!"

"Tsk..." Shidou was going to reply to her, but he noticed that some hands were firmly clutching his arms. "Huh?"

The participants of the other schools had approached him without being noticed. The lack of hostile intentions made them difficult to perceive.

"Hey! Let me go!"

There was no response from them. They were completely brainwashed, and they only listened to their new master, Izayoi Miku.

He could break free of them by force, but he was afraid to hurt them. Despite being mentally controlled, they were still innocent people who had nothing to do with this.

As he hesitated, Miku approached him and began to run her hands across his body with a flirtatious smile.

"Fufu... Shiori-san, the spirits... everyone in this world belongs to me."

It was official. She had definitely lost it. He didn't want to have to do it, but there was no other choice. He would have to beat some sense into her, as he did with Kurumi. The last thing he wanted was to have to deal with Gilgamesh 2.0.

"Huh?" But before he could get to it, he noticed a hand touching his private parts. Miku opened her eyes when she realized that part didn't have the touch it should.

In the place where there should be an "avalon", there was an "excalibur".

"It cannot be... This is... impossible.. You! Check this out!"

At her command, the people surrounding "Shiori" quickly lowered "her" skirt. Then, the truth was revealed. What Miku saw were shorts hiding Shidou's "sword".

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Shi- Shi- Shi- Shi- Shiori-san, y-you we- we- were a m- m- men all this time!?"

"This has an explanation-"

"How dare you deceive me!? I will make you regret it!" She stepped back a few feet and pounded the keyboard again, and all the people on the stage began to menacingly approach Shidou

It was now or never. "Damn!" Screaming, Shidou got away from the people holding him, praying not to do them much harm.

A huge wave of murderous intent filled the stage. Miku's "puppets" instantly stopped and even retreated. Despite being brainwashed, they still instinctively fear the presence of the Primate Murder, even if it was a mere imitation.

Taking advantage of that opening, Shidou pumped magical energy into his legs and threw himself at Miku. The most effective method to cancel a spell he knew was to incapacitate the caster. And stabbing more all people that were brainwashed with Rule Breaker, Caster's anti-magical noble phantasm, wasn't an option.

But, before he could position himself behind Miku and hit her in the back of the head, something got in his way. He had to stop in his tracks to avoid hitting a wall of ice that appeared in front of Miku.

At that moment, his instincts began to sound alarm in his head. Without thinking, he jumped back, putting a distance of about ten meters between him and Miku.

His decision was the correct one. Seconds after he jumped, two blurs crashed into the place where he had been.

Shidou's eyes widened as he realized who had attacked him. "Kaguya... Yuzuru... and Yoshino too...?"

Indeed, there floating above Miku was Yoshino, riding upon her angel Zadkiel, and from the crater on the stage arose the Yamai sisters, with their limited astral dresses and brandishing their respective halves of the angel Raphael.

"Onee-sama... I... will protect you!"

"Kuku... Fool. Defying our Aneue-sama was foolish of you."

"Affirmative. That was inmprudent and reckless. We won't let you lay a finger on Onee-sama."

Shidou gritted his teeth. If he said it didn't hurt him them looking at him with such hostility, he would be lying.

Behind his new escorts, Miku laughed. "Fufufu... hahahaha! You are a twisted person, Shiori-san! To think that you brought all these cute spirits with you without telling me anything... They're all my type! This is really the best!"

"So that's the way it is."

Shiori's expression was emptied of emotions. All his conflicting emotions were buried under a cold layer of steel. Even if they were people close to him, they are now on the side of the enemy. His goal haven't changed. The only thing that changed was that he had to defeat more enemies in order to save them all.

So much for peaceful methods. In the end, he always had to resort to violence and blades.

"As things have turned out, I have no use for you anymore. Disappear from my sight."

Miku pressed the keyboard again, and the spirits under her command attacked without a second thought. The Yamai threw a strong blast of wind that was accompanied by a rain of icicles created by Zadkiel.

The part of the stage where Shidou was standing was obliterated and a big smoke and steam screen formed.

"Huh?" Miku's surprise at seeing the figure that came out of the smoke was natural.

"Shiori" could no longer be seen anywhere. Instead, they saw Itsuka Shidou, dressed in a black combat suit and a waving red cloack, and wielding a pair of Ying Yang swords. The attack had apparently not caused any damage.

Next to Miku, Kaguya put on a predatory smile and Yuzuru frowned.

"Kuku... So Shidou is going to get serious, huh? Well, I always wanted to see how he would fare against the power of the Yamai!"

"Caution. Please get out of here while Kaguya and Yuzuru fight Shidou, Onee-sama. Things are going to get very violent."

"What are you talking about? Why are you so wary of a human-?"

The answer to Miku's question came in the form of steel raining down on them. The Yamai sisters reacted quickly, flying off and taking Miku with them. Moments later, about thirty swords struck the ground they had been on.

"Kya!"

By the time they looked back at the red knight, he was already running towards them, and it would hardly take him a few seconds to cross the remaining distance.

"Zadkiel!"

The huge puppet opened its jaws, and a wind filled with small pieces of ice was fired at Shidou. He did not bother to slow down or dodge to the side. He crossed to Kanshou and Bakuya in front of him and received the attack.

His magical resistance, enhanced by his red cloak and wield his married swords, made the attack barely scratch him.

"Shidou wasn't kidding when he said that suit was really resistent..."

"Request. Yoshino, you stay here and protec Onee-sama. We'll fight him directly."

"Hai..."

The daughters of the hurricanes descended like comets to Shidou. Kaguya's huge purple spear aimed to pierce his chest, while Yuzuru's chain pointed at his ankles to bring him down.

Shidou stopped in his tracks. If the attack had been completely simultaneous, it would have been difficult to deal with it. However, the spear was going to pierce him a fraction of a second before the chain hit his legs. That was all he needed.

With a precise and calculated movement, the married swords deflected the spear so that its tip was buried on the ground next to his feet. That caused the spear to stab the chain that was about to break his legs, nullifiying both attacks at the same time.

The identical sisters didn't have time to be surprised. Shidou stepped firmly on the spear with his right foot, and immediately threw a high kick with his left leg at Kaguya's head.

The boot clash against Yuzuru's chain, who had managed to position herself next to her sister. She could barely stop the attack inches away Kaguya'as head because of Shidou's reinforced strength.

He did not stop there. His other leg flew towards Kaguya in another high kick, and this time, she had nothing to stop it with.

"Guh!"

Both sisters flew to the bottom of the stage, falling among the other "puppets".

With that obstacle cleared for the moment, Shidou's cold eyes landed on Yoshino. She did not flinch or waver at the pressure of his gaze and immediately attacked with another wave of giant icicles.

The knight deflected and cut each and every piece of ice that approached with his married swords. When the attack was over, he poured a great deal of magical energy into his swords and threw them at Yoshimo.

She protected herself by creating an ice sheet in front of her. The unstable noble phantasms exploded the moment they crashed into the ice, creating a layer of steam that obstructed her view for a few seconds.

With the bodyguards distracted for a few moments, Shidou quickly traced his black bow and an nameless sword, altered the blade to be more aerodynamic and with its tip not sharpened, and shot it at Miku.

The idol's eyes widened seeing the projectile coming towards her at an incredible speed.

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"_

She screamed in panic, and her angel amplified her voice multiple times. Although that failed to stop the "arrow", it slowed it down enough so that she could duck and dodge it.

"Tsk." Shidou clicked his tongue as he dismissed his bow and projected his favourite swords again. Bakuya was swing to his side, and in a shower of sparks deflected the chain that tried to hit his neck.

Fighting four spirits was quite complicated, even considering that three of them had their pawers limited. He also could not afford to seriously damage them, or use attacks with a lot of radius of effect due to the large number of civilians in the place.

The most sensible strategy would be to take the fight somewhere else. In the most extreme case, he would have to use Rule Breaker, even if it meant breaking the link between them and them regaining their powers.

"Kotori, could you guide me to take the fight to a place without civilians?" He hoped that his sister, while she prefered pacifist methods, would understand that now trying to talk to them was not a realistic option.

The answer he received however was one he would never have expected.

_"The only place we're taking you is to your grave. You who defied Onee-sama and attacked her, deserve only to die obediently there."_

Hearing those words full of contempt and hostility, Shidou's blood froze. Enduring the spirits trying to kill him took a lot of willpower, but hearing that his beloved sister wanted to kill him really hurt his heart.

"Kotori... you too..."

For a moment, he for once lost the will to fight. And the Yamai sisters did not waste the opportunity.

"Notification. I have him!" Yuzuru's chain wrapped itself around the red knight's arm, preventing him from escaping. "Kaguya!"

"I got it!" Kaguya again descended on Shidou to impale him.

And this time, he did nothing to avoid the attack...

* * *

"Hahahahaha! Idiot! That's what you get for opposing Onee-sama! All those who deceive Onee-sama must die!"

Things on Fraxinus' bridge were not going very well. Somehow, Miku's power was transmitted through the speakers broadcasting what Shidouu's intercom picked up, and now the entire crew was brainwashed.

They all looked on the screen at Shidou fighting the spirits, and were insulting and mocking him. The sight of him about to receive a mortal wound made things worse.

Kotori began typing quickly on the console in front of her commander's seat. Her face had a perverse smile and laughed diabolically.

_"Parallel activation of the Basic Filmmakers. Starting the charge of Mana. Preparation of the "Mystletainn" convergence cannon. Objective.. Tenguu Arena main stage."_

"Hahahaha! With this, I will annihilate all those people who dared to deceive Onee-sama!"

Kotori was about to press the button to trigger the shot that would kill thousands of innocent people...

...but a voice stopped her.

"Pathetic."

After hearing that voice full of disdain, the entire room was filled with an oppressive aura. The place was completely quiet, and everyone turned to see the person who had just entered.

There at the door they saw a red-eyed blonde girl they all knew, but something was different about her. Her attitude of looking down at them remained the same, but now, the mere fact of looking into her eyes made them feel inferior.

Kotori finally gathered the courage to speak to her. "Mana... What are you doing here? And why aren't you siding with Onee-sama...?"

"Hmph. This is disappointing. Where all that talk about defying fate and avoiding the worst ending went? Look at you now, mongrel. You yourself are trying to kill the Faker."

"Mana" began to approach her with an bored look. Her hand moved slowly towards Kotori's neck, but she stopped to observe her reaction to her words.

Kotori grabbed her head like she was having a severe headache. "He challenged Onee-sama... but he is my Onii-chan, and I don't want to kill him... but he deceived Onee-sama... but... but... Aaaaah!"

"Hoh..." "Mana" looked at the scene in front of her with renewed interest. "So you are able to challenge that lowlife's power. All right then. Looks like you can still provide me with some entertainment."

That said, her hand formed a fist and struck the commander in the stomach, knocking out Kotori completely. Her gaze then shifted to Kannazuki, who was performing the role of Kotori's chair.

The Vice-Commander looked at her expectantly. "Mana" grimaced with disgust, but finally she fulfilled the man's wish and planted the sole of her shoe on his face.

A few moments later, the golden girl was wiping her hands after knocking out the rest of the crew.

"Damn troublesome mongrels. If you know she can brainwash humans, you should have prepared countermeasures. However, one last problem remains to be solved."

Her red eyes landed on the only other person in the room who wasn't unconscious. Murasame Reine, who had been standing in a corner of the room the whole time.

She had returned to Fraxinus after hearing that Shidou was in trouble and had left Yoshino enjoying the shows. However, when "Mana" entered the room, she had not been booing Shidou.

The golden girl approached the Analysis Officer with an expression of annoyance.

"You had the power to solve this situation, but you didn't do it, mongrel. That would have saved me the need to get my hands dirty."

Reine did not answer. Even though she had her usual sleepy expression, anyone who knew her might realize she was nervous.

She was aware that it was not Takamiya Mana who was talking to her. It was a very old and powerful being.

The red eyes scanned her from top to bottom, looking through her soul, and her expression changed to a dead serious one.

"A being who can reshape the world at its will... MY garden. Your very existence is an affront to the King..."

"Mana" raised her right hand and the gate to the treasury opened. Various ancient weapons radiating pure power pointed their blades at Reine.

"Should I eliminate you right now before you become a problem?"

The Analysis Officer swallowed saliva. Even if she could release her power before she was skewerd, it would hardly be a fraction. That would not be enough to stop those weapons that had the power to kill even immortal beings and pierce the most powerful defenses.

She was completely cornered and without options.

But, for some reason, the noble phantasms were not fired. The golden girl snorted, and the weapond returned to the inside of the treasury.

"You are lucky, mongrel. The owner of this body still has some memory of you. But, anyway, this is not my problem. It is the Faker who has to deal with you. Make sure they do not wake up before I come back to break the charm. I shall go to clear my skies of that DEM scum."

She left the bridge after saying that, and all the pressure in the room vanished. Reine released the air she was holding in her lungs, and as she relaxed her legs gave way and she sat with her back against the wall.

She hasn't felt that heartbreaking feeling for a long time, that she couldn't see again her most precious person.

* * *

Returning to the stage...

_CLANG_. Instead of a sound of a blade piercing flesh, the sound of steel clashing against steel was heard.

Huh!?" Kaguya released a sound of surprise when she see that her spear had been parried by a large white sword.

The person wielding that sword was a girl with black hair like the night, and dressed in a maid costume with various parts of purple armor on it.

"Tohka? Why are you protecting Shidou!?"

"Because it's Shidou, of course. Why are you attacking the person who saved you in the first place?"

Kaguya's eyes widened. She tried to answer, but she couldn't. Her mind was blocked by that huge contradiction that it meant.

Taking advantage of that opening, Tohka poured her power into Sandalphon and sent Kaguya flying with an explosion of energy.

Then, she turned to look at Shidou. Worry filled the girl's face seeing those golden eyes so empty of life. She was very confused with the whole situation, but the first thing was to get him out of that trance.

"Shidou, react! You can't give up so easily! The person who saved me would never give up just like that!"

ers words managed to reach the boy, who looked at Tohka in surprise. At that moment, Shidou noticed the chain wrapped around his arm, and set out to break out of it.

He put magical energy in his arm, and with all his strength shook his arm. Yuzuru, who had been distracted by seeing Kaguya repelled, didn't react in time and was dragged along the chain until she hit the ground violently.

The chain loosened from Shidou's arm and returned to her. With that resolved Shidou turned his attention the girl to his side.

"Tohka? You are not brainwashed?"

"Well, I was wearing two headphones to keep up with the song better, and that's why I didn't hear anything... But, Shidou, what's going on? Why are you fighting Yoshino, Kaguya and Yuzuru?"

Upon hearing the answer, Shidou finally shook his surprise and returned to his serious attitude.

"In short, Miku used her angel to brainwash everyone in the room. Now, will you help me save them, Tohka?"

"Umu! Of course!"

"Well, I'll take care of Kaguya and Yuzuru and you take care of Yoshino. Make sure you're careful not to hurt any civilians. Once we knock them out, I'll have a "chat" with Miku."

"Got it!"

Tohka rushed to Yoshino, who ordered her puppet to retreat. The blue-haired girl knew perfectly well that in a close fight, she had no chance against Tohka. Therefore, the fight turned into a chase, with Yoshino attacking from a distance with his ice angel and Tohka repelling all attacks with Sandalphon to reach her.

Meanwhile, the Yamai sisters knew for sure clear that even with two of them, they were at a disadvantage in close combat. No wonder Tohka always came back from training with Shidou full of bruises. So, their fight turned into a long-distance fight.

Still, with his bow skills, Shidou could defend himself from them perfectly. And at the same time, they could deflect the "arrows" with their wind easily, so the fight turned into a stalemate.

Miku's patience began to wear thin. She thought that with three spirits on her side, she would have no problem getting rid of that boy she hated, but now it even seemed like her girls could lose, even with her angel supporting them.

Suddenly, the roof of the stage exploded near where Tohka was. She and Yoshino were the only ones to notice, so they stopped their fight momentarily.

Out of the hole in the ceiling came a silver-haired woman dressed in mechanical armor. Tohka immediately recognized her as that frightening woman who beat her on the school trip.

Ellen Mathers took a few moments to look at the scene in front of her. "Bayley and the rest failed in the end... Well, it doesn't matter. That was already in my expectations. The target Yatogami Tohka is here, and Itsuka Shidou..."

She looked in the direction of the red archer, and her face twisted in a grimace of anger for a few moments. She really wanted to settle the score with the boy, but she forced herself to repress her personal feelings in favor of fulfilling her mission.

"It seems like another distraction has conveniently appeared that keeps him busy, so I have no inconvenients hindering me from capturing you, "Princess". Once that's done, we'll just have to wait for him to come to us on his own to save you."

Tohka frowned and gritted her teeth to the woman's provocations. "I won't let that happen. I will defeat you myself right now!"

The two clashed swords violently, completely forgetting Yoshino's existence. It was time to put her training into use.

Across the stage, Yuzuru deflected another round of "arrows" with her chain.

The sword crashed into the ceiling, exploding and causing debris to fall over the Yamai. However, Kaguya put them aside easily with a blast of wind.

"Kuku... What's up, Shidou? You're running out of tricks!"

Although she seemed confident, the two sisters were on guard. It was very rare for Shidou to keep throwing attacks at them that he already knew would not work. All he had accomplished was for them to move to the right...

"... dodge."

They saw Shidou move his lips, but they did not listen well to what he had said.

"What did you say? Do you want to bow down and apologize to Aneue-sama-?"

"No. I said dodge it!"

"Huh!?"

"Warning. Kaguya, behind you!"

The most expressive of the two sisters turned alarmed, to see a pair of married swords fly towards her. That was the pair of swords Shidou threw at them before projecting his bow.

Then, they understood. His plan all this time had been to distract them and take them to the place where those swords were to collide attracted to each other.

Kaguya deflected them with her wind at the last second, narrowly avoiding injury.

"Worry. Are you okay Kaguya?"

"Yes. Thank you, Yuzuru. He almost got me there... Watch out!"

She didn't finish her sentence. During the seconds of distraction caused by the surprise attack, Shidou had jumped towards them and was now behind Yuzuru. In his hands was a huge stone slab shaped like a sword. They recognized it immediately as Berserker's weapon.

Shidou swung the axe-sword over their heads, and the Yamai sisters, with no time to dodge, tried to stop the attack together.

If they had been at their best, they might have made it. With their powers limited, they had no chance against the reproduced strength of the black giant.

"Kya!"

"Pain. Guh!"

Both sisters crashed into the stage, Yuzuru falling on top of Kaguya.

Shidou landed next to them and made the axe-sword vanish. Seeing that they would take a few seconds to recover, he traced in his right hand an iridescent dagger. Its edge was blunt and its blade was jagged.

Although re-sealing their powers when all this was over was going to be a headache, this was the most reliable option to return them to normal.

But before he could nullify Miku's charm, he had to project Kanshou into his other hand and deflect the icicles that tried to skewer him

Shidou looked surprised at Yoshino, who was no longer being pursued by Tohka. Although he didn't expect Tohka to beat her quickly, he had no doubt that she could knock her out without problems.

He looked around the room, and his heart skipped a beat, seeing Ellen Mathers carrying an unconscious Tohka on her shoulders.

Things were really going from bad to worse that day.

"You... what the hell are you doing here!?"

"Adeptus 1" only showed him a mocking and twisted smile, before flying and leaving the place through the hole she had made in the ceiling.

"I won't le you go dammit!"

Shidou tried to run after her, but stopped when he sensed an absurd amount of spiritual energy behind him.

As he turned around, he saw the Yamai sisters who had already stood up. In front of them, the metal wings they wore in their astral dresses had combined to form the body of a bow. Yuzuru's chain played the role of the bowstring, and Kaguya's spear was loaded as the "arrow".

Shidou's eyes widened. With that amount of energy, even with their limited powers, that was going to be an anti-fortress attack that was going to destroy everything in its path. All the people behind him were going to die if he dodged the attack.

_"I am the bone of my sword."_ Therefore, he was going to block that attack.

""Raphael: The Kanaph!"" The Yamai sisters released the string, and their final attack was fired.

"Rho Aias!" Shidou pulled out his most powerful defense from the hill of swords.

The arrow hit the seven-layered shield. Given that Rho Aias was a conceptual weapon specialized in blocking projectiles, blocking that attack shouldn't have been a problem...

"Guh!"

Shidou growled in pain when the first two layers of the shield were pierced.

Due to the wind that enveloped the arrow and rotated around it, the projectile obtained a piercing capacity similar to that of Caladbolg.

It was impressive that the attack caused so much damage despite having only half the original power.

Finally, the energy contained in The El Re'em was released, causing a huge explosion. Half the stage was completely destroyed. Luckily, Miku had ordered her "subjects" to flee the scene while Shidou blocked the attack, so he was the only one caught in the explosion.

"Fufufu... wonderful." Miku approached Kaguya and Yuzuru smiling and clapping. "Good job getting rid of that scum."

But, the identical sisters shook their heads. "No, Aneu-sama. Shidou survived our attack."

"Explanation. He blocked Kaguya and Yuzuru's attack with one of his noble phantasm and fled taking advantage of the smoke screen as a distraction."

As they said, when the smoke cleared, Shidou was nowhere to be seen. Miku frowned at that.

"Hmph. It doesn't matter. I'll have everyone in this town looking for that sly bastard. In the meantime..." She turned to look at the girls next to her with a sweet smile. "I'm tired. How about you join me for a relaxing bath?"

""Yes, Onee-sama/Aneue-sama.""

* * *

**And that's all for now. Yes, Tohka was kidnapped as in the original histori, but although this Shidou can fight, at the time he was quite busy.**

**The next chapter will be the climax of this arc, and believe me, I'm gonna go all out. It will likely be a pretty long chapter, and I don't know if I'll split it in two. Depends on how painful the cliffhanguer is.**

**Now, speaking of this chapter, first of all, I want to see those men of culture figuring out the song that "Shiori" and Tohka sing in this story. Because yes, that's not the song they sing in the original story, "Atention question". The lyrics to the song gives it away.**

**Oh, and also, the girls that Shidou attends as a butler also came out of another anime. Although I've never seen that anime, that's where a fairly well-known meme came from on the internet.**

**As for the scene between Gilgamesh and Reine, if you haven't read the light novels from Date a Live, you just got spoiled on the true identity of Murasame Reine, although I kept things vague so as not to reveal it at once. And yes, that's what I meant when I said that Gilgamesh would destroy the plot without Mana staying around to keep him under control.**

**And you might wonder, if Tohka in this story received training from King of Fakers, why did she lose to Ellen anyway? First of all, in just one month of training she cannot have much improvement, considering that they only trained two days a week. And secondly, there was improvement. She endured a few minutes while Shidou fought the Yamai sisters, while in the original story, she was knocked out in less than five seconds. I'm not joking. In both the anime and the light novel, Tohka is knocked out just seconds after throwing Shidou out of the building.**

**Finally, as always, I would like to hear your opinions, and I hope I have entertained you. I will probably leave a survey on my profile about the next update.**

**With this I say goodbye for now. Until next time!**


	13. Chapter 12: a deal with the devil

**See you again, people! Here I bring you the next chapter of this crossover. Well, this chapter is the beginning of the climax of this arc, but the original chapter was very long, so I had to divide the chapter into two parts. So yeah, you're gonna have to endure a cliffhanger.**

**As for the reviews, the scene between Gilgamesh and Reine gave rise to a discussion about Gilgamesh's power that I sincerely don't want to get into. I simply stick to what was shown in the original work and the information on the wiki. Yes, I know that Mio is op and even Gilgamesh would have serious trouble defeating her, mostly because of her second angel, but in her split state and her powers sealed to maintain her human facade, she would have died if Gilgamesh had fired the noble phantasms.**

**I also got reviews about some of you expecting King of Fakers to start a massacre after being betrayed. I seem to have to clear up a misunderstanding here. What you saw in chapter four of this story, the emotionless killing machine personality, is nothing more than a front he puts up during fights to death. Although, in Kurumi's, it was to scare the shit out of her so she didn't cause the spacequake in the school. King of Fakers doesn't like having to kill his opponents, but he knows that sometimes it is the only solution. That's why he completely turns off his emotions when he has to. In the case of the previous chapter, he turned off his emotions so that he could fight against Yoshino, Kaguya and Yuzuru without holding back, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to harm them.**

**I consider him losing the will to fight and almost giving up after being betrayed quite serious. If I remember correctly, Emiya Shirou only lost the will to fight momentarily once during his fight with Archer on UBW route.**

**As for the last review I received, reviews like this are the ones I'm happy to read. A brutally honest opinion that points out my flaws in a respectful manner without insulting or disrespecting. I can agree on most of what is in the review, and I will follow your recommendation, but I must disagree on one matter. ****If what you mean by tools to correct my grammar errors is a translator, believe me, I've been using them since I started writing on this site. And no, it isn't Google translator, it is a reliable translator that translates even sayings. But, if I'd just copy-paste what the translator spits, you would need to decrypt the text and learn Morse code. The only thing I can do to make sure there are no errors would be to look for a beta reader, but I seriously doubt anyone will volunteer for the task.**

**But, I think that's enough of my ramblings. Let the chapter begin!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, the Fate franchise, or Date a Live.**

* * *

Tobiichi Origami opened her blue eyes for the first time in hours, and though she was confused and her head was spinning, she managed to realize that she was lying on a bed. The place was definitely a hospital patient ward, and judging from the dim light coming through the windows, it must have been getting dark.

Little by little, memories of how she ended up in that state resurfaced in her mind. She had been overwhelming the DEM Wizards thanks to the power of the "White Licorice", but failed to defeat them before reaching her limit.

Her body and mind could no longer withstand the colossal burden of handling that CR-Unit, and they began to collapse in the midst of battle. That was the reason she was in constant pain all over her body right now, and could barely lift a finger.

From that moment on, her memories became blurred, so she must have lost consciousness soon after.

"O-Origami!?"

A voice was heard beside the bed where Origami was lying. The albino moved her head, ignoring the gust of pain that that entailed, to see who it was.

There was a girl with brown hair tied in a pair of braids on the sides. She was Okamine Mikie, the Origami Kohai in the AST. Her eyes were full of tears, and her nose was dripping with snot, making her appearance a mess.

"Thank Goodness... I was beginning to think you'd never wake up again..."

"How did I get here...?" Origami asked with a thread of voice as Mikie wiped her face with a handkerchief.

"This is the hospital! When you were brought in, you were bleeding everywhere! Even having used medical realizers, your condition is still a critical...!" She started sobbing as she spoke. "Sorry... I'm so sorry...! I knew you were in danger, and I still didn't go to help you!"

Origami shook her head gently. "You don't have to apologize. Regardless of the reasons behind it, my actions were a violation of orders. It must be treated as the egoistic actions of an individual, and not as the intention of the whole AST. Where is Lieutenant Kusakabe?"

"She's is at the base... negotiating with superiors about your punishment, Origami-san..."

"I see..." Origami simply nodded and accepted the consequences.

"Bu-but, if that's so, then, Origami-san will be..."

"No... Lieutenant Kusakabe was right. If we had all helped at that time, then the entire AST would have to face disciplinary action... Therefore, this entire incident, the unauthorized use of the "White Licorice," and the attack on the third squad, is all my responsibility..."

As she spoke, her memories finally returned completely, and with that, she remembered why she had done all that in the first place.

"Shidou- ugh!"

She tried to get up by reflex, but her body protested in the form of a wave of pain through all her nerves.

Seeing this, Mikie worried. "Origami-san, you can't move! You have to rest!"

Origami ignored her. In her mind there was only one thing at the time. "Shidou... is he okay?"

After thinking about it for a few moments, Mikie decided to answer the question. "We're still in the middle of the investigation. We don't know the details yet."

"How is that possible?"

Mikie, instead of answering the question, grabbed a remote and turned on the TV that was hanging from the ceiling of the room.

The news program was being broadcast. The loud noises that were heard and the reporter's shaky voice only increased Origami's concern.

_"The mass riots that suddenly began in Tenguu City do not seem to show signs of calming down soon! Even the riot police sent to control the situation has joined the unnatural phenomenon! What is happening in Tenguu City!?"_

The transmission of the channel was suddenly cut.

"This is..."

"As you have seen, the center of Tenguu City is in chaos. This area is far from the city, so we're safe."

"What exactly is happening?"

"Although it hasn't been officially announced, it's a spirit. In the middle of Tenguu Square, a huge spiritual sign was detected. All the people in the place seem to be controlled by the spirit."

"Then, if it is a spirit, why have you not been sent to deal with it?"

"Because there is no precedent for this, the high command doesn't know what to do. At the moment, we are awaiting orders."

That made sense. With so many civilians on the scene, they couldn't act carelessly. But what about Shidou? He was also controlled? Or... does he attempt to fight with the spirit? In that case, if the situation hasn't been resolved yet, that means...

Before she thought of the worst, she remembered the last person she saw before losing consciousness.

"Mana..." The person who formerly belonged to DEM, who has an APB on her for about a month, and most importantly, Shidou's biological sister.

"Where is Mana?"

That took her Kohai by surprise. "Mana...? Oh! Right! I was also surprised when we saw that she was the one who brought you. Although, we keep that detail a secret so we don't have any problems. And, well... according to reports, the third squad was wiped out, only Jessica was left alive..."

"Did she say anything about Shidou?"

"Well... she said something like, "The Faker will take care of the situation. For the moment, treat this mongrel. She has earned it." and left. I don't know if she was referring to Shidou."

"Ku..." Origami clenched her fists with how little force she had at the time.

She again found herself powerless, and judging from what Mana said, it was very likely that Shidou would go out and risk his life to save the people controlled by the spirit.

She in the end was unable to achieve her goal even by borrowing the power of "White Licorice", and the safety of the person she loved was unknown.

* * *

"Things are really getting ugly..."

A certain boy with golden eyes and dressed in a black combat suit and a red cloak, watched the situation from the roof of one of the abandoned buildings just outside Tenguu City.

Even if he was miles away, his already excellent sight enhanced thanks to reinforcement allowed him to see how all Izayoi Miku's "subjects" combed the entire city in their search.

It had been several hours since he had escaped from the Tenguu Arena, and it had already become night. At first, he tried to run after Ellen Mathers, but the woman must have flown at the speed of a fighter jet, because in the time he was busy stopping the Yamai's combined attack, she had gone so far that Shidou couldn't track her down.

With most people in the city looking for him, his freedom of movement had been greatly reduced. So he had to flee to this secluded place to carefully plan his next move.

His priority for the moment was to rescue Tohka. Having been kidnapped by DEM, she was in far more danger than all the people who had been brainwashed by Miku's angel.

The problem was that he didn't know where Tohka was being held, and of course, he didn't have the support of Fraxinus' crew to find it out.

He hoped that Mana and the Goldie could deal with the situation at Fraxinus, but anyway, he had disposed of the intercom just in case. At worst, his inevitable rematch with the King of Heroes would be much sooner than he expected.

But, Shidou really doubted that Gilgamesh, the person with an ego so huge that he couldn't be corrupted by the mud of the Holy Grail, could be controlled by Miku.

Returning to the most pressing issue, in order to rescue Tohka, he would have to solve Miku's mess, something that was easier said than done.

Trying to talk to her right now was impossible for Shidou. She would simply not listen and send Yoshino, Kaguya and Yuzuru to fight with him.

The situation was really delicate. If he could find no other solution, he would be forced to blow up his cover once and for all and use his one true spell to corner the four spirits and subdue them by force.

The red knight's train of thought was interrupted when he noticed that something was wrong where he was. He searched every inch of the roof for the anomaly that caused a reaction on him.

It didn't take him long to find what was wrong. A black key was quickly projected into his hand, and Shidou threw it into a shadow that shouldn't have been there.

Just an instant before the blade stabbed the mysterious shadow, a person jumped out of the shadow and avoided the attack.

That person landed a few feet in front of Shidou. She was a girl of a similar age to him, with black hair tied in a pair of asymmetric pigtails, uneven eyes, and wearing a classic blood-red dress.

"Fufu... What a rude way to greet people who come to visit you, Shidou-san."

"Hmph, stalking people while they are immersed in their thoughts is also quite rude, Kurumi."

Indeed, the person who had come out of the shadow was Tokisaki Kurumi, the worst spirit.

The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments. The tension in the environment was palpable. It was natural. After all, a few months ago, they both ended up fighting.

Shidou was the first to loosen his dead serious expression and speak. "Well? To what do I owe this visit? You came at a complicated time, you know?"

Kurumi showed a smile. "Of course, I am aware of your situation, Shidou-san. A spirit brainwashed Yoshino-chan and the Yamai sisters, Tohka was captured by DEM, and now you find yourself alone against everyone."

Shidou wasn't surprised by that. He always had the feeling that Kurumi hadn't gone far after her encounter with him.

"Then, why have you come here? Do you want to give me the answer to the question I asked you at that time? Or are you here to settle the score with me?"

Kurumi felt the same feeling she felt during their fight a few months ago. The feeling of knowing for sure that you are going to die.

However, this time it didn't catch her off guard, and she kept her smile on her face without wavering.

"It's nothing like that, Shidou-san. Besides, you should already know my answer. I also have a goal, and for that, I need my power. And of course, yours, too."

She began to approach Shidou slowly, with her hands behind her back. "However, right now, I have another unfinished business to take care of besides trying to obtain your power. I have come to help you, Shidou."

The golden-eyed boy raised an eyebrow. "You want to help me, just like that? I didn't know you had started a nonprofit during these two months, Kurumi."

Kurumi chuckled at his sarcasm. "Fufu... Of course, I'm not crazy enough to go around helping people without asking for anything in return. The thing is, my unfinished business is also related with DEM."

Shidou looked at her for a few moments, and it didn't take long for his to realize what she was implying.

"'My enemy's enemy is my friend', huh? Now we're talking. What do you have in mind?"

"Ara, Shidou-san thinks of me as an enemy. How cold of you..." She pretended to be offended, but not getting any reaction from Shidou, she reverted to her previous business attitude.

"Let's say there's someone else DEM has captured, and I want to borrow the services of said person. I'll make you a deal. I help you rescue Tohka-san, and you will be the bait while I search for that person's whereabouts. It's a good deal, don't you think?"

Shidou considered it for a moment. "Yeah. It's a really reasonable deal coming from you. But what assures me you're not going to stab me in the back while I'm busy fighting the DEM Wizards?"

That didn't baffle her. Of course he would not trust her. Kurumi took a turn, her skirt fluttering, and walked to the edge of the roof.

"If you can afford to refuse my offer, then why haven't you already gone to rescue Tohka? I saw you knock out that woman who represents the pinnacle of humanity's power."

Of course, Kurumi knew the answer to that question. She only had to look ahead to see it. There were even police helicopters patrolling the city looking for Shidou. Searching the place where Tohka is held with so many people looking for him was impossible.

"As a token of my honest willingness to cooperate with you, Shidou-san, "we" are already looking for the place where Tohka is being held." After saying that, Kurumi reached out to him.

Shidou closed his eyes and sighed. She was right. He wasn't in a situation where he could refuse her help. Finally, he shook her hand.

"Fine. I accept your deal."

Kurumi's smile widened. "It will be a pleasure... Now, we must act quickly and resolve this."

"I assume you already have a plan in place, don't you?"

"Of course. First, while "we" confirm Tohka's location, we need to do something about that other problem you have so it doesn't interfere with our goal. The girl who specializes in singing."

"Miku, huh? It would be troublesome to have to deal with both matters at once..."

"There's something that's been bothering me for a while now, Shidou-san. I know you have the power to beat those four at once. Why do you hold back and not fight seriously like you did with me?"

"The situation is much more delicate this time, Kurumi. In your case, if I didn't beat you, many people were going to die, so I was forced to do so. Plus, your other "you" are mass-produced clones that you can easely replace. On the other hand, I wish I don't have to hurt Yoshino, Kaguya and Yuzuru."

Kurumi hummed at that, but repressed her urge to make a mocking remark about it. From the look on Shidou's face, she knew that if she went too far it could end up blowing in her face.

She had seen the battle on stage. Kurumi knew, even though he was putting up a calm and composed front, the betrayal of Yoshino, Kaguya and Yuzuru, and that Tohka was kidnapped right in his face had really affected him.

"Anyway. If you're so kind that you don't want to hurt them, I guess we'll have to use a peaceful method. That's okay with you, right? We'll have to convince her not to interfere with Tohka's rescue."

"Well... the main problem in being able to talk to her are the three spirits who are on her side. If you could buy time so I could talk to her without interference... And yet, given her hatred toward me, I don't know if she'd listen to what I have to say."

Kurumi stroked her chin as she thought. "Hey, Shidou. I can't put it very well, but, that girl, she gives me a strange feeling."

"Yeah, I noticed there's something off about her, too. Although she thinks of herself as someone so superior to humans, she avoided at all costs being seen by people until today..."

"You wouldn't happen to have one of her belongings?"

Shidou raised an eyebrow. "How am I supposed to have something like that with me? You saw it yourself. I had to flee the stage before the fight escalated to the point where civilians around started to get caught in the crossfire."

Kurumi's smile turned wicked in that moment. "Come to think of it, if you take off that outfit, you're still in "Shiori-chan mode," aren't you? Let me see you dressed as a maid."

The red knight's eyebrow trembled for a few moments. "This is not the time, Kurumi..."

"What a shame... Coming back to the subject, if we can get obtain one of her possessions, using my power we might find a weak point. You know where she lives, right?"

"Yes... but, I doubt it will be easy to infiltrate her home. Even if she's not there right now, she probably put a lot of surveillance around..."

* * *

_Five minutes later..._

"Nevermind..."

Kurumi and Shidou had arrived at Miku's house jumping from roof to roof and using Kurumi's shadow to hide.

Shidou expected the place to be surrounded by people, full of traps, and even some bounded fields set up around the house. As it turned out, that was nothing but his paranoia after fighting with so many magi in his past life, as there was not a soul in several blocks.

"Shidou-san can become really paranoid. I told you. That girl is so focused on finding you, I doubt she'll think you'd come to her house to investigate. Would you do the honors?"

Shidou nodded and walked to the door of the western mansion. He touched the lock with one finger, and using structural grasp, he memorized the plane of the lock, more specifically the shape of the keyhole.

"Trace, on."

The next moment, a key appeared in Shidou's hand. He introduced it in the lock, and the door opened without problems.

"What a convenient power... Do you do this often?"

"Let's leave it at that I'm used to infliltrate much more protected lairs of people in shady businesses."

Kurumi's curiosity only increased. As much as she investigated the person named Itsuka Shidou, nothing she obtained explained why he was so skilled in combat, nor did it give any indication that he was involved in the paranormal world before a few months ago.

"Does Shidou-san do something other than go around helping even people like me?"

The red knight turned to look at her, his face even more serious than usual. "Let's just say, I used to clean places and get rid of the trash."

The tone in which he spoke implied that he would no longer speak on the subject. Both entered the house in silence, and went to the place where they were most likely to find what they were looking for. That is, Miku's bedroom.

It didn't take them long to find it anyway. On the door was a sign that said "BEDROOM". So subtle...

The place looked more like a hotel room. It was very spacious, with a large king size bed, a wooden cabinet, a closet, and even a TV in front of the bed.

The two began to unceremoniusly tear the place upside down. According to Kurumi, they needed an object that had great meaning for Miku.

Shidou searched under the bed and between the mattress. People often hide important things there. But, all he found was a box with an absurd amount of bills and gems.

"Mm. I found something incredible."

Hearing that, he turned to look at Kurumi, who was searching the cabinet drawers. What he saw then was the "worst spirit", holding in front of her chest a bra that was clearly several sizes larger than hers.

"What the..." If he was surprised that she was making jokes in this situation, or by the size of the bra, it was debatable.

"This is huge, Shidou-san. Here practically fits a head. I knew she had a rather generous bust, but this is ridiculous."

"Ahem!" Shidou coughed exaggeratedly, though it was more to hide his blush. "We don't have time for jokes, Kurumi."

"Aw... I'd like to see how this fits Shiori-chan."

He didn't even bother to answer that. His gaze shifted to the closet, the only thing left to investigate.

It was then that he realized that above the furniture was a rectangular box that looked like those that are used to store desserts as cookies. Of course, that was quite out of place there.

He carefully took the box and opened it. His eyes widened as he saw what was inside.

There were several CD boxes with an image of Miku printed on them. That was the first thing that didn't add up. The super idol Izayoi Miku was supposed to have never shown her image in public until today.

However, the most surprising thing was...

"Yoimachi... Tsukino? Who is that...?"

Instead of Izayoi Miku, that was the name on the CDs. Many questions went through Shidou's mind. Did she have a twin sister like the Yamai sisters?

But the name was totally different, and besides, the Miku in the picture looks a few years younger. According to Kotori, the spirit "Diva" first appeared six months ago, but, she being already in this world long before would not be too far-fetched...

There was only one way to find out. Shidou looked around the room once more, and luckily, he found a CD player under the television. He introduced the CD with the closest date to the current one, and hit the play button.

A melody began to ring, and soon after, a quiet voice was heard.

"This is..."

Shidou's confusion increased even further. That was Miku's voice without doubt, but there was something different about it.

It wasn't the voice that was accompanied by an enormous charming power that had the Miku that he had seen perform at the festival. This was a voice that it was clear that Miku was putting her heart into it...

His brain finally connected the dots. Could it be... that she had the same condition as his sister...

"Well, looks like Shidou-san found what we were looking for." Kurumi next to him spoke as she grabbed the CD boxes with one hand, and on the other she prepared her antique-looking pistol.

"Zafkiel, Yutzudo!" The tenth bullet was loaded from her clock-like angel. The next thing she did was put the CDs next to her temple, and she put the barrel of the gun on them.

The trigger was pulled, but like it happened a few months ago, her head didn't explode into pieces.

Shidou raised an eyebrow. "And that was that for..."

"The ability of this bullet is to remember. Memories of the objects hit with this bullet are transmitted to my brain."

"So..."

"Yes. Although what I got is quite fragmented, I can now understand why she gives that strange feeling. You see, Miku-"

Her explanation remained incomplete when a sound entered the place, making the windows tremble. However, it wasn't an alarm. It was music... the music generated by the angel that could enslave humans.

The two peered out the window immediately, but they found Miku nowhere. The music was being transmitted through the speakers used for the announcements.

Apparently, Miku was getting impatient as Shidou hadn't been found after several hours, and was extending her search radius.

Shidou looked at Kurumi beside him, but found no signs that she was affected by Gabriel's power. Her astral dress seemed to be able to provide enough magical resistance to completely nullify the charm.

Her pale face turned into a grimace of disgust. "Tsk. This is annoying. I will have to tell you on the way. There is no time to lose. Let's have a chat with that disobedient girl."

Shidou nodded, and they both left the house to head to Tenguu Square.

* * *

"Aaah... This is the best..." Miku let her voice out as she relaxed in a chair.

She had just given a concert for her female audience that had been broadcast all over the city, and was now resting beside the three beautiful maid-dressed spirits who obeyed her.

Kaguya was massaging her back with her skillful hands, Yoshino was cooling her with a large fan, and Yuzuru was holding a soda for her.

In short, you could say she was in paradise. Finally, she had reached her dream. It was just unbelievable, so much so that she had thought several times that she was dreaming.

But no, this was the reality. She was surrounded by pretty girls who obeyed and loved her, and the men had been expelled and put on guard around Tenguu Square.

There was no one to stop her...

"Ku..." At that moment, the face of a certain golden-eyed boy appeared in her mind.

"I won't forgive you... Itsuka Shidou." Her face full of pleasure and happiness turned into an angry one just by thinking of that man. Even the spirits around her stopped what they were doing and looked at her worried.

That man... he was posing as the girl named Itsuka Shiori to get close to her. Miku couldn't deny that she had taken an interest in that tall, muscular, shy and socially awkward girl. She gave off a totally different feeling to the girls who were always around her. It could be said that she even became obsessed with her.

That only made things even worse when she discovered the truth. All those times she'd touched "Shiori" and flirted with "her"...

"Uu..." Just thinking about it, she gagged, and she had to cover her mouth with her hand so as not to vomit.

"O-Onee-sama!"

"Are you all right, Aneue-sama?!"

"Terror. Someone fetch a bag, hurry."

The trio of spirits approached her full of fear and worry, but she reassured them with a "I'm fine..."

Although, clearly, she wasn't well. There was only one last thing she wanted right now. Bring that disgusting man in front of her and make him suffer until he regretted being born.

"That man... hasn't been found yet?"

Yoshino trembled at the hate-filled voice of her "Onee-sama". "No... We're still looking for him."

"Is that so... Then find him quickly-"

As soon as she gave the order, the door to the room they were in suddenly opened and three girls dressed as maid entered.

"Sorry for the introduction, Onee-sama!"

"There is an emergency, Onee-sama!"

"We have a problem, Onee-sama!"

They were the Ai-Mai-Mii trio, the students who were originally part of Shiori's band. All three spoke in order of stature.

Miku blinked a couple of times. "You seem in a hurry... What's wrong?"

All three agreed to give the message.

"I-it's something very important! We found Itsuka-kun!"

"What...?" She took a few moments to process what they had said. When she did, she laughed diabolically. "Fufu... Fufufufufufufufu... So, they finally found him... that was harder than I thought, but it was inevitable that my pretty minions would catch him. By the way, who found it? If it's a girl, I'll spoil her for a while. If it's a man... give him a treat."

The three girls looked at each other and didn't respond.

"What is it? Is there a problem?"

"It's not that... how to say it..."

"There are too many people who found him..."

"Rather, he was the one who came here on his own..."

Miku's eyes widened. "What do you mean by that? Where is he?"

"He's very close to here."

"To be precise, he's right in front of Tenguu Square."

"What should we do?"

"Take me to the control room..."

""Yes, Onee-sama.""

Already in the control room, Miku took a look at what the surveillance cameras showed.

As the trio of Raizen students had said, there at the main entrance was the man named Itsuka Shidou, surrounded by her subjects. They were all ready to jump on him, but apparently, he had done the same trick he used on stage, and he was keeping them in line.

However, he was not alone. Next to him was a girl in a flashy dress who made Miku have a bad feeling just looking at her.

Both were looking at the camera that was pointing at them, Shidou with eyes full of resolution, and the girl with a not very reassuring smile. Miku pressed the button to have her voice broadcast and proceeded to welcome them.

"So you dare to come to my castle, Itsuka Shidou. Although I don't know what you've come for, since you're here, I can't let you get away, can I? All right, everybody, get him! I don't care if you hurt him, as long as you bring him to me alive so I can make him suffer!"

She gave the order, and her subjects ignored their instinctive fear and attacked.

She was confident in her victory. From what she had seen, Itsuka Shidou wouldn't dare harm civilians...

"Huh?"

Her surprise was immense when all the people in the place fell to the ground like puppets whose strings had been cut.

"What is this? Don't tell me... that girl is a spirit!?"

Itsuka Shidou was already a tought enemy on his own, and now he had brought another spirit with him.

"And besides, she doesn't seem to be controlled by my music..."

Although she had managed to control Yoshino and the Yamai sisters, that was because they weren't wearing their astral dresses at the time. Therefore, now that that spirit was wearing her astral dress, there would be no way she could control her.

Her fists clenched unconsciously. Those two... They surely came to seal her power.

"I can't let that happen..."

If she lost her powers, her "voice", she would return to that time...

The idol turned to leave the room, surprising the girls who accompanied her.

"Is something wrong, Onee-sama?"

"I'm returning to the stage! Come with me and evacuate the place! We will receive them there..."

* * *

_With Shidou and Kurumi._

The red knight looked at the worst spirit with a raised eyebrow. Obviously, he was demanding an explanation for why she had used her "City of Devouring of Time" on these people.

"Don't worry, Shidou-san. With so many people in the range of my "City of Devouring of Time", the average amount of time each person will not be affected. Also, with this extra time, it will be easier to fulfill my promise."

Shidou breathed a sigh. "Fine... Let's go."

The two walked toward the Tenguu Arena, ignoring all the people who had collapsed on the floor.

In a couple of minutes, the two entered the main stage, where Kurumi noticed that Miku was with her shadow.

The place was empty of spectators unlike the last time, and there in the center of the stage was Miku, with her back resting on her angel in the form of an organ. Next to her were the Yamai sisters and Yoshino, wearing their limited astral dresses and with their angels ready.

The golden eyes met again with silver eyes. The two looked at each other silently, until Shidou opened his mouth to speak...

"Miku-" Only to be cut off immediately by the idol.

"What kind of noise is that. Can you please not make those impure noises to contaminate my spirits? What a terrible man. You are the doom of the world. Your vileness is such that if you were beaten to death and buried, that piece of land would never be fertile again. Shut up, you walking piece of garbage."

Shidou's eyebrow shook for a few moments. Not because of the verbal abuse, but because of her way of referring to the girls as her property.

But, he remained calm and tried again. "Miku, if I tell you I came to talk to you, would you set aside hostilities for a moment?"

"Didn't I tell you to shut up!? Do you think I'm going to waste my voice talking to you!? I'm sick of you! Girls, finish him off!"

""Yes, Onee-sama/Aneue-sama!""

The three spirits immediately unleashed their attacks of ice and wind upon the two intruders.

"Trace, on."

However, they were annihilated by the holy light of the peerless sword that appeared in the hands of the red knight.

Shidou turned to look at Kurumi. "I tried. I guess we'll have to stick to the original plan."

"Of course." Kurumi raised her hand, making her angel appear. "It is time for "us" to teach these spirits who don't know their limits a lesson."

At her command, many "Kurumis" came out of the shadows around the stage, each and every one of them with their weapons pointed at the four spirits on stage.

The place was filled with macabre giggles and gunshot sounds. The Yamai sisters reacted by flying, while Yoshino ordered her puppet to create an ice dome around them to block all the shots.

Zadkiel's ice proved to be strong enough to stop the barrage of shadow bullets.

The looks of Kaguya and Yuzuru met that of Shidou. The red knight leaned forward, preparing to jump to the stage. Durandal in his hands wrapped itself in golden light.

There was no exchange of words. They knew that Itsuka Shidou wasn't going to give up, and he knew that talking to them was a waste of time.

But before Kaguya and Yuzuru could do anything, Kurumi's clones opened fire at them from all directions.

"Ku... This is annoying! Yuzuru!"

"Recognition. Kaguya, give me your hand."

The two of them held hands and began to spin in mid-air. That increased the speed of the wind that enveloped them, creating a strong whirlwind that repelled all bullets.

"Kukuku... Do you think these weak attacks will have any effect on us, the children of typhon!?"

The smile of the original Kurumi didn't waver as she turned to look at Shidou. After all, her intention was never to defeat them. She only had to clear the way for Shidou.

The magical energy that Shidou had been accumulating in his legs exploded violently. The mana burst propelled him toward the ice dome in the middle of the stage at an immense speed.

The red and golden comet passed between Kaguya and Yuzuru so fast that they couldn't react in time and stop their spinning to intercept him.

"What...!?"

"Horror. This is..."

Durandal hit the ice dome. Thanks to the immense momentum, added to the power of the holy light that bursted, the magic ice was destroyed as if it were a glass sculpture.

Shidou landed nimbly in a crouch, a few feet from the two spirits who had been inside the ice. His gaze turned toward Yoshino, and he immediately threw in her direction a trio of newly projected blades.

"...!"

"W-wow!"

Yoshino ordered Zadkiel to jump in panic to avoid the attack. Already having stabilized in the air, a voice similar to Yoshinon's came out of the giant puppet.

"Yare yare, Shidou-kun is being very mean to Yoshino-chan and Miku-chan. It seems we'll have to punish him..."

Zadkiel opened his jaws to fire another stream of ice... or so it tried to do. Yoshino looked alarmed at her struggling puppet.

"What's wrong...!?"

"For some reason, I can't move well. Something is hindering my movements!"

Yoshino then looked at the stage, and her eyes widened. The three black keys that Shidou had thrown were now stabbed where Zadkiel's shadow was being proyected.

"We have to get out of here!"

Yoshino expanded her power to get rid of the effects of the Keys of Providence, but it was too late. Before they could move, more than a dozen "Kurumis" threw themselves at them and knocked them down.

"Kya!"

"What are you doing!?

Shidou forced himself to ignore Yoshino's cries of panic, and turned his gaze to Miku. He began to walk slowly toward the idol spirit, the peerless sword still in his hand.

Miku stepped back, her formerly angry face now had traces of fear, and she began to inhale deeply. However, as all her attention was focused on Shidou, she didn't notice the clone that positioned herself behind her.

"Mugu!?"

Before she could shout, "Kurumi" covered the idol's mouth with her hand. The shadow at her feet expanded, and several clones grabbed her limbs and dragged her into the shadows.

As much as she tried to fight and struggle, she eventually sank into the shadow.

When the idol opened her eyes again, she found herself in a sea of darkness. There was nothing else in that place she had been taken to by force... except a certain golden-eyed boy.

Upon seeing him, she again tried to shout, but again, hands caught her.

"Kihihi, don't be a bad girl, Miku-san." Kurumi's voice echoed on the place. "I have done my part, Shidou-san. The rest is up to you."

Shidou nodded, and the sword in his hands faded in specks of light. At the same time, Miku was released from the hands.

"Like I said, I just came to talk to you, Miku."

"Hmph." Hearing him call her by her name, she folded her arms and turned her back.

Shidou clicked his tongue and scratched the back of his head. "Look, I know it was wrong to deceive you and hide my true identity to get close to you. So, I would also like to apologize to you..."

"Shut up! Shut up already, damnit! You tricked me and dirtied my dignity! I won't listen to anything you say to me!"

"Hmph. Then I will speak for myself."

"..."

Seeing that she didn't respond, Shidou proceeded with his monologue. "Yatogami Tohka, the girl you saw with the tambourine during the performances, and as you should know, a spirit, was kidnapped by a Wizard organization specialized in killing spirits."

That caused a reaction in Miku, as if she had remembered something. Her shoulders shook for a few moments.

"My priority right now is to rescue her."

"Huh?" She gave a sound of confusion. "Why do you want to rescue her?"

"Well... she is an important person to me... But more than that, I don't need any reason to help someone."

Hearing that, she snorted with mockery and turned to look at him with an expression of annoyance. "Important? Hah! Don't give me that idealistic talk. Although I don't know her very well, I know she's a very cute girl. It would be a waste not to rescue such a beautiful girl, wouldn't it?"

Shidou raised an eyebrow, not knowing why she reacted like that.

"Because the target of your sexual desires was kidnapped. If she dies, you'll lose everything and have nothing to live for, right?"

"Sexual desires? What does that have to do with saving a person who is in danger?"

"Isn't that what all men refer to when they say someone is important to them?"

Shidou released an exasperated sigh. "There you go again with your prejudices. I don't know what kind of men you met before, but I can tell you we're not all the same."

"Heh, and why is that? You're not going to tell me that girl's life, Tohka-san's life, is more important than yours, are you?"

"Of course, her life is more important than mine."

Miku stared at him stunned. Even if she wanted to think it was nothing more than empty talk, the enormous conviction with which he spoke gave no room for doubt. That was a statement.

Shidou continued after seeing that she didn't respond. "When I sealed her powers so she could live a peaceful and happy life, I made her a promise. I promised her that, no matter what happened, if any problems arose, I would take care of them. And I intend to keep that promise. I'm going to rescue her tonight, and that's why I need you to get your subordinates to stop looking for me."

Miku stared at him silently, until she put on an expression of disgust again. "And you expect me to believe all that? Even if what you're saying is true, do you think you can walk next to Tohka? You're facing an entire Wizard organization and you could die at any moment. How pitiful..."

"If it's for her to be happy, I don't mind having to enter the battlefield one more time."

Again, those eyes filled with determination. Miku found it increasingly difficult to refute what he was saying.

"Hmph, all men always make promises they cannot keep."

Shidou's eyebrow trembled for a few moments. "You're not the best person to talk about keeping promises."

Miku's eyes widened to hear that. "Me?"

"Yes. Don't you remember the promise we made before the Tenou Festival? You promised that if Raizen Academy won first place in the festival, you'd let me seal your powers."

Miku took a step back. That was something she didn't want to remember. And besides, this was a place where violence wasn't allowed, so the only option she had was to come to an agreement.

She gritted her teeth as she gave Shidou a threatening look. "That's not valid! You didn't tell me you were a man!"

Shidou rolled his eyes. "That has nothing to do with the promise."

"But I won in the stage division!"

"You were the one who proposed that the winner would be the one who obtained the first place in the first day in general. Next time you're making a bet, think about it better before proposing terms."

"I don't care! Sealing my powers... I WILL NEVER LET YOU SEAL MY POWERS!"

She ran out of arguments and started screaming. That was fine with Shidou. His intention right now wasn't to seal her powers.

"If you don't want me to seal your powers so badly, then how about we change the promise?"

That got Miku's attention and made her stop screaming. "Change the promise? What are you talking about-?"

"One night." Shidou interrupted her as he lifted a finger.

"Huh?" Miku tilted her head in confusion.

"Like I said, tonight I'm rescuing Tohka. My proposal is that you don't interfere and order your "subjects" to stop looking for me until tomorrow morning."

"Is that the condition?"

"Yes. If you fulfill that, I'll considere the matter settled."

"But... you... weren't your goal to seal my powers? Why...?"

"You seem to have misunderstood it. I told you when I went to your house, didn't I? I wanted to seal your powers in order to save you. My dream is to save them all, and that includes you as well. But now Tohka is in danger, so I have no choice but to postpone our business."

Miku was speechless after remembering that conversation. Both now and at that time, she could find no trace of a lie in his words.

Yet, she went on in complete denial. Those words were too good to be true.

"Th-that's enough! I won't listen to you anymore! Those are all lies! You have a hidden motive! Selfish creatures like humans who claim someone else is important to them... All of that is nothing but lies!"

Shidou frowned as he listened to her. "Why are you so determined to reject humans? You too..."

What Shidou was about to say was interrupted when a ray of light entered the sea of darkness, and Kurumi's voice was heard.

"Sorry to interrupt your talk, but, I'm afraid my abilities have reached their time limit."

With that said, the two were pulled out of the shadow. Both blinked to adapt their eyes back to the light on the stage they were on again.

Shidou stood beside the original Kurumi, while the three brainwashed spirits immediately rushed to Miku's side.

"Onee-sama!"

"Aneue-sama! Are you all right!?"

"Relief. As long as you're okay."

Meanwhile, Kurumi ignored them and spoke to Shidou. "Although I tried to extend it as much as I could, fighting with three spirits is quite complicated. Besides, our time is not unlimited, so it is time to withdraw, Shidou-san."

The red knight nodded. "I agree. I would say she already understood my point, so there is nothing more to talk about here."

After saying that, Shidou grabbed Kurumi in princess style and jumped quickly to avoid the absolute zero beam that struck where they had been.

Upon landing, Kurumi looked at Shidou with a mischievous smile, though her pale cheeks had a tinge of red.

"Oh my, Shidou-san is quite a gentleman. Have you fallen in love with me and are going to abandon Tohka?"

Shidou snorted at that. "It was just the quickest way. Besides, I'm saving you the need to use more special bullets. Isn't that good for you?"

"Touché."

The Red Knight put magical energy into his legs and ran at inhuman speeds out of the arena.

However, Miku wouldn't leave them so easy. "Don't let them escape!"

"Understood!"

"Recognized. Understood."

Kaguya and Yuzuru flew after them at blurred speeds.

Shidou and Kurumi had barely been a few blocks away from Tenguu Square when they saw the Yamai sisters chasing them closely.

"Tsk." Shidou clicked his tongue as he leapt from building to building. Even if he used mana bursts to increase his speed, it would be just a matter of time that they close de distance between them.

"Leave this to me." Kurumi spoke confidently as she pulled out her gun again. "Zafkiel, Bet!"

The 'Second Bullet' was loaded into the pistol, and Kurumi quickly shot it into the Yamai twins.

"Impertinent woman! That toy is useless against us!"

"Restriction. Wait, Kaguya. This is..."

Yuzuru's warning was late. By the time the bullet hit the wind that enveloped them, they both began to move at an unnaturally slow speed.

Shidou needed no explanation to seize the opportunity Kurumi gave them. Instead of jumping into the next building, he let himself fall in the gap between the buildings. In the middle of the air, a long chain with a pair of nails at its ends manifested itself in his hand and he drove one of the nails into the wall of a building.

Using the chain to swing, the two landed inside a dark alley. Shidou put Kurumi down, dissipated the chain, and the two stood silently waiting.

Just seconds later, the two of them saw a pair of figures fly over the alley, missing them completely.

"Oh my, although Bet didn't make them lose consciousness, they were still able to see us with their time slowed down. I wonder what kind of eyesight they have."

"Bearing in mind that the true form of their angel is a bow, it's no wonder that they have good eyesight."

The two still hovered around the area for a few minutes, but eventually surrendered and returned to Tenguu Square. With that, the two could now speak in a normal volume.

"So how did it go with Miku?" Kurumi asked as she put the gun back into her shadow.

"Well, she didn't give me a definitive answer, but I really doubt she will come to interfere."

"Heh, don't be so modest, Shidou-san. Your speech almost touched even me, there's no doubt that it didn't reach her, no matter how much she continues to put on that repellent attitude."

"If you say so..."

"Now..." Kurumi suddenly approached him and bowed her head. Shidou raised an eyebrow, and the response he got left him even more confused. "Aren't you going to reward me for my hard work?"

Shidou looked at her with disbelief, but finally shrugged and caressed her head.

"You did very well, Kurumi. I have fought those three at once, and I can say they are tough opponents."

"Fufu... being praised by Shidou-san... feels strangely good. I'm begining to envy Tohka-san and the others."

"Ehem..." Shidou coughed as he looked away and stopped caressing her, earning a disappointed groan. "How's your search for Tohka's whereabouts going?"

"Well, talk about perfect timing..."

Just then, Kurumi's shadow expanded, and a clone came out from inside. "Kurumi" gave Shidou a smile before bowing down and starting to whisper things in the ear of the real Kurumi.

"Fufu, I see... Thank you for your work. You are dismissed." She nodded in understanding and dismissed the clone.

"Well?"

"Yes. She's the "me" I sent to collect information on Tohka's whereabouts. She is being held in the Japanese branch of Deus Ex Machina Industries, specifically office building 1."

Shidou caressed his chin with his hand. "DEM's Japanese branch? Although I live here most of my life, I never heard of anything like it."

"Of course, they are not so obvious as to put a DEM sign on the buildings. The buildings belong to another company, but just like that travel agency that offered you the school trip, they are also affiliated with DEM. So, even if they look like normal office buildings to the naked eye, there's no doubt that they'll have plenty of defenses ready."

Shidou nodded in understanding. "Then, we don't have any time to lose. Let's go."

* * *

"... Now, the next question. Are you aware of the term "Ratatoskr"?"

The foreign woman with silver hair asked the girl with black hair as the night that sat in front of her. Her tone was professional and calm.

"Hmph! Like I'm going to tell you!"

The girl being interrogated snorted before taking her face away. Her hands and legs were attached to the chair with shackles that were difficult to break even for a spirit like her, and she had an IV in her arm and a bunch of electrodes attached to her head, arms and legs.

In short, he had no chance of escaping, let alone with her powers sealed.

The interrogation had gone on for a few hours. Ellen, the woman who had kidnapped her, and who tried the same thing a few months ago but was beaten by Shidou, continued to ask her questions relentlessly, regardless of Tohka's not willing to answer them. Her goal was to wear her down mentally.

"I see. Then let's move on to the next question. What can you tell me about Itsuka Shidou's strange powers?"

Tohka sighed, not bothering to answer. It's not like she knew much about it. When she asked Shidou how he pulled swords out of nowhere, he began to explain strange things "like dual origin and element" or "giving shape to what's in his soul" that she didn't understand very well.

"Your name is Ellen, isn't it?"

"It's an honor to be remembered."

"Why do you keep asking questions if you know I won't answer them? I will never betray Shidou."

A wicked smile formed on the lips of "Adeptus 1". "That doesn't matter. After we capture the four spirits entrenched in the Tenguu Arena tomorrow, Itsuka Shidou will have no choice but to come to us."

Tohka gritted her teeth for a few moments, before putting on a confident smile.

"Hmph... And what makes you think you can beat him? The last time you fought with him, he beat you really hard."

Ellen's composed expression was broken upon hearing that. "He attacked me by surprise! The next time we fight, things will be very different! I'm gonna-!"

Ellen's outraged speech was interrupted by a voice coming out of some speakers.

_"Please don't, this is too dangerous! How about..."_

Hearing that, the "World's strongest wizard" frowned in surprise.

"What is it?"

_"Ah... that, he said he wants to go into the isolation room...!"_

"He wants to go in? Who is it?"

The voice that was heard through the speaker paused, doubting whether to respond or not.

_"It is sir Westcott..."_

"Ike?"

In response to Ellen, a different voice came out of the speaker. _"Yes, can you hear me, Ellen? They don't want to hear my words. Can you help me? I'm disappointed of my own employees."_

"Everyone cares about you. Don't play around."

_"You can see it that way. But, this is difficult. An employee who obeys me, or an employee who works with my wellbeing in mind. I wonder, which is better?"_

"Anyway, I belong to the last ones."

_"Don't say that, my dear Ellen."_

Hearing him, she breathed a sigh of helplessness. "Fine, let him in..."

_"But...!"_ The employee tried to object, but Ellen interrupted him.

"Even if the spirit tries something, everything is under control while I am here."

A few seconds later, the concrete wall that delimited the sterile room they were in cracked, revealing a rectangular hole through which a man entered.

The moment Tohka saw him, she felt uneasy. All her instincts screamed that guy was dangerous.

"You... Who are you!?"

The man answered politely. "It is an honor to meet you, "Princess"... no, Yatogami Tohka."

He began to walk slowly towards her. "I'm Isaac Westcott, CEO of DEM Industries. Nice to meet you."

Despite his friendly tone, Tohka stared at him with squinted eyes.

"Am I being hated?"

"If you want to be loved, you should think of a better method."

Westcott chuckled at Ellen's remark and shrugged. Tohka suppressed the nausea she was feeling just from being near the man and gathered the courage to speak.

"You are the one after all this! What is your goal!?"

Upon hearing the question, the man put on a soft smile that Tohka found quite disturbing.

"My goal, huh? It's quite simple. I just want your powers as a spirit..." He paused dramatically, and his smile widened. "...in order to break down the limitations of this world."

Tohka blinked a few times. The man's words made any sense to her. "What are you talking about, you bastard? I don't have any power like that!"

"It's true, your current self doesn't have those powers."

"My current... self?"

In response to Tohka's confusion, Westcott extended his arms sideways. "The you who is currently living in this world lives a very quiet life. Therefore, I need to put you to sleep first. Yes.. when you are floating in the sea between worlds. No, to be precise, the feeling you have before waking up."

"What are you saying...?"

"You..." Westcott continued his speech. "How can I make you fall into utter despair?"

Tohka's blood froze at that moment. "What...?"

"Hate this world. Hate humans. That not even the strongest angel would be able to fill the void in your heart. You can only rely on outside help beyond an angel. How can you possibly enter that state? Going through the AST records, there was a time when you were actually close to that state... what exactly happened?"

After saying that, he turned to look at Ellen. "Hey Ellen, maybe we should increase physical torture? Let's start with electrocution. And then, decrease the oxygen concentration in the air. Maybe we could change the air pressure. If that fails, then we'll rip out her nails one by bit.. and then her teeth. The pain coursing through her nervous system should be unbearable by then."

Tohka's eyes widened, and her heart began to beat faster and faster. What frightened Tohka most was the manner in which the man spoke, as if he was reading the shopping list.

"The body of a spirit is much more resilient than that of a human... In that case, we should also give you drugs. And then, what do you feel about your own chastity? The pain you feel when we completely destroy whatever dignity you have as a woman. In the long time you have spent in this world, have you had any friends or lovers? If we killed that person in front of you, how would you feel?"

Tohka's body trembled upon hearing that. The image of Shidou writhing on the ground and spitting blood after being shot by Origami passed through her mind.

Westcott nodded as he observed her reaction. "Ellen."

"Yes. I suppose the person closest to her is Itsuka Shidou. She really seems to trust him."

"I see. All right, we'll keep waiting-"

His line was interrupted when an alarm started ringing all over the place.

"What's this?"

Ellen's question was answered by the voice which had been heard previously through the speakers.

_"The territory surrounding the facility has collapsed from unknown causes! We are under attack!" _

The voice was followed by sounds of explosions, and the three in the containment room noticed that the building trembled slightly.

Westcott's smile widened even further and he began to laugh. "Hahahaha... it seems we won't need to wait long. Ellen, prepare to welcome our guests."

"Understood."

* * *

_A few minutes earlier._

"So this is where they hide, huh?" Shidou commented as he watched the huge office building at the end of the street he and Kurumi were walking.

It had already passed midnight, so there were hardly any lights on in the surrounding buildings, giving a disturbing aura to the place.

"Now that we're close, I can feel my bond with Tohka again. She's definitely here."

"Yes. From here on, all the buildings belong to DEM. Specifically, she is in the giant structure in the middle of the buildings. The problem is I couldn't figure out in what floor and room she is being held."

"That's more than enough. Now that we're here, we should discuss the plan."

"That's right. It would be best to sneak in. Once we're in the central building, I'll summon "us" and attack the other facilities to divert their attention."

"I see, then I'll take care off breaking through the defenses in the main building..."

Shidou suddenly stopped and motioned to Kurumi to stop as well.

"Huh? Is something wrong, Shidou-san?"

"I'm sensing an anomaly right in front of us. This sensation... I'd say it's a wizard territory."

"I see... it is not surprising that they have established territories around all the facility... Do you have any method to get us through it?"

Shidou answered materializing an iridescent dagger in his hand. Seeing Kurumi's curious gaze, he proceeded to explain what he had in mind.

"This dagger has the power to dissipate and destroy any kind of thaumaturgy, except for a few exceptions. Now, when I stab the surface of the territory, two things can happen. First, the territory dissipates without anyone noticing and we can move forward without being discovered. The second, they have already foreseen something like this, and the moment the territory dissipates they will raise all the alarms."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Yes..."

Kurumi shrugged. "Well, we have no choice but to take the risk."

Shidou swung the dagger forward, and with the sound of glass breaking, the anomaly he noticed disappeared completely.

However, what he feared happened. The place was filled with red lights, and the spacequake alarm went off throughout the city.

The red knight sighed as he let the dagger fade away. "Why is it that I am not surprised..."

In a matter of moments, the sky above them was filled with "Bandersnatch" dolls.

"I guess we'll have to force our way in then. "We"!"

Kurumi's shadow spread, and a large number of clones began to appear and shoot at the dolls.

"This is where we part ways, Shidou-san. You go ahead while I distract them and seek out my target."

Shidou nodded and uttered his aria. "Trace, on."

In his hands appeared Kanshou and Bakuya, and floating in the air around were ten other nameless E-rank noble phantasms.

Having reinforced his body, he ran towards the central building, with the swords following him.

The place soon became a real battlefield. The first wave of "Bandersnatchs" was massacred by Kurumi's clones, but reinforcements soon arrived.

The walls of the office buildings were modified and became gates through which many more "Bandersnatch" and wizards emerged.

The explosions echoed throughout the place. In the air began a bloody battle against the countless clones of Kurumi. Although wizards and even dolls could defeat the "Kurumis" individually, they were vastly outnumbered. The clones didn't even bother to use their guns, and they crushed the human wizards with their own hands while laughing maniacally.

Meanwhile, another group of "Bandersnatch" and wizards tried to stop the red knight. The keyword was "tried".

Bullets, missiles, magical beams, everything was cut by the married swords as he advanced inexorably. At the same time, the swords around him were fired at his attackers, destroying the dolls and incapacitating the wizards.

Normally, he would feel bad for all the people who were dying in that battle. But given that they worked for the company that had kidnapped Tohka, he didn't feel any pitty at all.

"...!"

Just as he was about to reach the building, his instincts suddenly kicked in, warning him of a danger approaching him.

He stopped his race and swung Kanshou with all his strength towards the incoming projectile. A sound of metallic clash was heard, and what looked like a gleaming halberd crashed a few feet from him.

Shidou turned to look in the direction the weapon came, and there, sitting on the ledge of a building, he saw her. Golden eyes met red eyes again after months.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up. I see you haven't lost your ways, Goldie."

The golden girl snarled, her usual arrogant smile widening. "Of course, Faker. Just by acknowledging your existence I cannot suppress my desire to destroy you."

"The feeling is mutual."

With that said, "Mana" jumped out of the building and landed gently beside Shidou.

"If you are here, I can assume you have dealt with the crew of Fraxinus, can't I?"

"Hmph, I, the King, extended my generosity to those mongrels and helped them. Do not think it will happen frequently, Faker."

That filled Shidou with relief. But, there was still something bothering him. "You didn't lay a finger on my sister, did you?"

"What if I did?"

"I don't care if that's Mana's body, I'm gonna beat the crap out of you." Shidou's threat came out in such a cold tone that even the temperature around cooled.

The King of the Heroes smiled amused. "Relax, Faker. I just knocked her out so she wouldn't fire the cannon from that aircraft of hers toward the stage. I can't let someone other than me kill you."

Shidou still stared at "Mana" for a few seconds, but he let it go. "Anyway. Why did you come here? Did you come to help me?"

"Of course not. At least me. I shall leave this from now on to my retainer while I rest. Controling this body for so long is exhausting. We'll see each other again, Faker."

With that said, the oppressive aura around her disappeared, Mana's expression changed to one of happiness and she leapt to hug Shidou.

"Woah!"

"I'm so glad I can be with you again, Nii-chan!" The golden girl rubbed her head against his chest, though the black armor didn't allow too much physical contact between the two siblings.

"I'm glad to see you too, Mana. From what I can see, your body is much better."

"Yes. I had been receiving treatment from Fraxinus. Although, I really felt helpless to watch through videos like you had to fight alone. That's why..." Her smile of happiness turned into a bloodthirsty smile. "I'm coming with you to beat the shit out of the lowlife who did this to my body."

Gilgamesh was definitely not a good influence on her. However, Shidou still understood her anger.

Mana's eyes opened suddenly, looking like she remembered something. "Oh, right, I have to give you this."

She pulled a small object out of her sweatshirt pocket and threw it at Shidou. He caught it in mid-air and inspected it. It was a Fraxinus intercom.

Shidou looked at Mana with his eyes wide open. If that was on, Fraxinus' crew must have heard him talking to Mana like she was someone else.

"Please, Nii-chan, I'm not careless enough to let them hear us. The signal is changed." After saying that, she snapped her fingers. "Now, the signal should be Fraxinus'."

Shidou put it in his ear and hit it gently a couple of times. A few seconds later, he heard Kotori's voice, although she sounded a little uneasy.

_"... Shidou, do you read me?"_

"Loud and clear, Kotori. Are you back to normal?"

_"Yes... I guess... So... Uh... I'm so sorry... that wasn't my intention..."_

That caught him off guard. "What?"

_"Well, um... look, screw that. Although I don't remember what happened very well, I still have some images... I know what I said while I was in that state could have hurt you... so like I said..."_

"Well, if I say that hearing my beloved little sister say she wants to kill me didn't hurt, I'd be lying. But, I understand that at that time you were brainwashed. What matters here is that you are okay now."

_"Yeah... Mana here was the one who saved us with one of her er... noble phantasms. However, it was still a while before we all regained consciousness and could reestablish communication. And about that, we equipped that intercom with an special filter, so that incident shouldn't happen again. But, back to the main point, what are you doing in that place fighting wizards, Shidou?"_

"Well, you see..."

Shidou briefly told Kotiri what happened while they were being controlled. Kotori remained silent for a few moments, processing all the information.

_"And of all people, you asked Kurumi for help?"_

"Rather than asking her for help, she came to me to propose that we both cooperate. Apparently, she also has unfinished business with DEM."

A tired sigh was heard through the intercom. _"Anyway. I guess we have no choice but to support the operation "rescue the princess"."_

"Huh?" Shidou was surprised to hear that. "Aren't you going to try to stop me?"

_"Of course, I think that storming the enemy's base head-on and without any plan is insane and that you should retreat to think of an strategy. But, I know nothing I say is gonna change your mind. Besides, we don't know how long they'll keep Tohka alive, so we can't waste any time."_

"You really know me well. But, I doubt we can communicate inside that building. They probably have jammers that block the signal..."

_"You're right. All we can do is provide external support. However, while I would like Mana to be resting, I will have to let her accompany you."_

"Don't worry, Kotori-san." Mana reassured Kotori. "If Nii-chan and I fight together, there is no one who can stop us."

_"Aah... I suppose I'll leave it to you. Listen, I won't accept nothing more than a total victory, and that is, you all must come back alive! Let or Date/Battle begin!"_

Just at that moment, the three heard an explosion very close to them. On the wall of the building from which Mana had jumped there was a quite big hole.

Shidou looked around, looking for the possible attacker, but saw no one. In fact, now that he noticed, all the wizards and dolls that had been shooting at him were now pinned to the floor and the walls of the surrounding buildings by several noble phantasm.

No wonder no one interrupted them whaile they were talking. "Mana" got rid of them.

"I found you..." A voice in a tone in which the madness could be felt was heard coming from the hole.

From inside the building came a huge metal monster. The best way to describe that would be an armored tank full of weaponry. And at its command, there was a redheaded woman that both siblings knew.

"That's... White Licorice?" Shidou recognized that CR-Unit as it was identical to the one used by Origami when she tried to kill Kotori.

"No. It's actually its twin sister machine, the DW-028R, "Scarlet Licorice". Although, for all intends and purposes, the only thing in which they differ is the color of the metal."

"I found you... MANAAAAAAAAA!" The woman ignored the conversation and screamed full of madness. Her attention was totally focused on the golden girl.

Mana made a very annoyed face. "Heh, I see you still want to cause me trouble, lowlife."

Shidou turned to look at his biological sister with an raised eyebrow. "What the hell did you do to her to be now a berserker?"

"Well, she wanted to bother you while you were dealing with that lowlife who thinks she's superior, so I had to give her an exemplary punishment."

He looked at her with suspicion. "How many people died?"

"Her entire squad. In fact, I'm sure I pierced all of her limbs. In order for her to be moving that machine in her current condition, they must have left her body in an even more pitiful state than mine. Isn't that right, Jessica?

"Aha. Mana. Mana. Mana. Do you see my Licorice? With this I can finally kill you! With this, I won't lose to you anymore!"

The two siblings grimaced. She had completely lost the ability to reason.

"How unsightly. Go ahead, Nii-chan. I'll take care of her."

"Are you sure? That thing is designed to be able to fight spirits head-on."

"Don't worry. I can currently go into Demi-servant mode for about thirty minutes. More than enough time to get rid of her."

Just when she said that, her body began to gave off an oppressive aura again. Mana jumped to the roof of the nearest building as if it were not a three-story building, and turned to make a provocative gesture to Jessica.

"If you want to fight me so badly, then follow me!"

"MANAAAAAAA!"

The building practically blew up when a barrage of missiles hit it. Mana simply jumped into another building, and the crazy wizard chased after her.

She was taking the fight somewhere else so as not to bother Shidou.

The red knight gave them one last look before turning to look at the building of more than twenty squares where Tohka was.

"Hold on a little longer, Tohka... I'm coming to rescue you!"

Whispering that, he ran to the entrance of the building and kicked the main doors hard. What was found there was an ordinary reception, totally devoid of people.

He immediately run up the stairs and started climbing floors. It wasn't up to the fifth floor that he met with people. Just what he was looking for.

At the end of the corridor there was a man and a woman, both dressed in CR-Units and carrying assault rifles. The two immediately noticed the presence of the red knight.

"An intruder!? That suit, you must be...!"

The man couldn't finish what he was saying as a steel boot hit his stomach really hard. The wizard flew away like a rag doll until he smashed into the back wall, and fell unconscious.

"When..!?" His companion widened her eyes upon seeing what just happened and tried to raise her rifle to shoot the intruder.

But, she wasn't fast enough. Shidou grabbed her hand holding the rifle and twisted her arm to place it on her back. Being immobilized, she tried to activate her territory, but was stopped when a silver blade was positioned a few inches of her throat.

She immediately felt the frightening aura of the cursed sword, Redeemer, and her body began to tremble unconsciously.

"Tell me, where is Yatogami Tohka being held?" Shidou's question was asked in a really cold tone that made the woman shiver even more.

"She is in a special quarantine room on the 18th floor!" She confessed very quickly.

Even though she was supposed to be a loyal employee of the company, right now, she was certain that if she didn't talk she would die.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes! Please don't kill me! I have a husband and two children who are still going to primary school!"

Shidou remained silent. After checking that there was no trace of deception in her words, he let her go.

The woman stumbled forward and turned to look at the red knight. She looked like she was going to piss herself any minute.

"Get out of my sight."

She didn't need to be told twice and ran downstairs, completely forgeting her companion.

Shidou immediately resumed his race towards the upper floors.

There were still twelve floors to climb, and the best thing would be to climb as many floors as possible before they could put a proper defense.

* * *

"Aaaah, geeeez! How dare that man take me for a fool!" Miku screamed in frustration as she knocked on the table where she was having dinner.

She was in the restaurant of a luxury hotel near Tenguu Square. After the attack of Shidou and the spirit that could summon clones, Ai, Mai, and Mii had suggested going out to eat something to calm the restless Miku.

All hotel staff had been expelled after hearing her "voice", so you could say she was now eating at a free buffet.

However, no matter how much exquisite food she ate, or the cute girls who accompanied her, the idol could not calm her anxiety.

"Onee-sama, please calm down..." The female trio of the Raizen academy along with the three spirits that accompanied her, the six still dressed as maid, looked at her with worried looks.

"Aneue-sama is the only absolute existence approved by the gods. There is no need to be so irritated by the words of someone as insignificant as Shidou."

"Affirmation. It is best to forget such people. There will be no end if you continue to worry about it."

The Yamai sisters put their hands on Miku's tense shoulders to reassure her.

"Eh, eeeh... it's true. That's right. I don't need to worry about a human so insignificant..."

She said that with the intention of convincing herself of it. But, in that moment...

_"My dream is to save them all, and that includes you as well." _

Those words spoken with a firm resolve resonated again in her mind. She clenched her teeth unconsciously and painfully managed to stop her hand before punching the table again.

Those words must have been empty. An unattainable dream that even he knew he couldn't fulfill...

But, those eyes... The image of that look full of determination... It gave he was the feeling that, if it was him... it would be possible... that he could keep that promise.

That was what worried Miku the most. That had to be a farce. If men like that really existed, then...

"If so, then, I..."

"Onee-sama?"

Yoshino's worried voice took her out of her thoughts. She pretended everything was fine by waving her hand, and turned to look at the girls behind her.

"Hey, girls, you're in the same school as Shidou and Tohka-san, right?"

All except for Yoshino nodded. This last one looked at Miku shyly and spoke.

"Um... I don't. Sorry..."

"But you know them both, don't you?"

"Y-yes! O-of course!"

"Then it's not a problem." After saying that, Miku turned the chair over to sit looking at the girls and adjusted his legs. "I want you to answer sincerely... What is your opinion of Itsuka Shidou? Is it true that he would go so far to save Tohka?"

The girls looked at each other thoughtfully for a few moments. Finally, they nodded to themselves and turned to answer the question.

"Ah... he's a very frivolous man. He always goes around making empty promises and saying things like "I like you" and "you're important to me" as if it were as natural as breathing."

"That's right. His brain is so connected to his genitals that he doesn't think about anything other than trying to hit on girls."

"Yeah. Everything he said must be a lie. You don't have to worry, Onee-sama."

Miku squinted upon hearing all those things. "I'm glad you consider my feelings, but I don't like lying girls. I want you to tell me your real opinion."

The three students looked at each other with worried faces, but spoke anyway.

"Well... Itsuka-kun was always a distant person. He was simply helping anyone who needed it, without asking anything in return, but his interaction with other people ended there."

"Yeah. That's why we call him the Fake Janitor. He's a kind and helpful guy, and that's why he attracts some girls. But, he's so dense that he doesn't realize it. To our knowledge, he has never had a relationship with a girl."

"It was when Tohka-chan showed up that that changed. She's always glued to him, and she looks very happy. He always looks out for her well-being, and even prepares lunch for her every day."

Miku's eyes opened upon hearing that. "Hmmm... is that so?" Her gaze then focused on the three spirits.

Yoshino was the first to speak. "If it's Shidou-san... there's no doubt that he will go to save Tohka-san... Even if that means having to sacrifice himself..."

"Kuku... Right. If it's him, Shidou will definitely save her. I can bet on it. That idiot thinks first of the well-being of others before his. It's thanks to him that Yuzuru and I can be together..."

"Affirmation. No matter who it is, he'll always try to help them. Barely knowing us for a couple of days, he confronted without hesitation that terrifying woman who kidnapped Tohka to save us. There is certainly something wrong with his head."

"Kuh..." Miku's expression worsened. They were without doubt saying their honest opinions.

The idol stood up from the chair, sighing to calm down and playing with her hair.

But, before she could say anything, a shrill alarm was heard.

"The spacequake alarm... why?"

Miku and her maids peered out onto the terrace of the restaurant to see what was going on, and the eyes of the idol widened before the sight that received her.

The tallest building in the office district seemed to be under attack. Even from so far away, they could hear the sounds of gunfire and explosions.

Miku didn't know how many minutes she was looking at the astonishing view. Her mind could already sense what was happening.

Suddenly, in the middle floors of the tallest building there began to be massive explosions. The exterior windows were destroyed, and even the entire building trembled.

"Yep, that's definitely Shidou." Kaguya at her side confirmed Miku's thoughts.

That man... he had actually gone to rescue Tohka...

* * *

**And that's it for now. I do know that I cut it just when the best part was going to start. This type of cliffhanger is really painful, and I can understand why most authors on this site use it. But, I'm not that twisted. That's why I also wrote the next chapter in advance.**

**Yes, you heard right. The next chapter is ready, so if I haven't updated it already, I won't be long. Between the two chapters add up to about 80 pages in the Word. That's huge, and translating it from Spanish into English is a headache. Which by the way, I've noticed that a lot of the reviews I get are in Spanish. Ahí está mi gente!**

**But before you jump to the next chapter if it's already updated, let's talk a little about this chapter.**

**You know, every author, without exception, has a list of "badass lines you want your characters to say". This particular line "I used to clean places and get rid of trash" is one of them. The line itself comes from a light novel called "Grisaia no kajitsu", specifically from its badass protagonist. The line really suits King of Fakers and his Counter-Guardian status perfectly.**

**I am aware that in ****Kurumi's**** arc I omitted many conversations between her and this Shidou, so in this chapter there is quite a lot of interaction between them.**

**And, well, I don't have much to say for now either. As always, I want to hear your opinions, and I hope I have entertained you.**

**See you in the next chapter!**


	14. Chapter 13: Keeping promises

**See you again, people! This time yes, here is the true climax of this arc. This chapter comes with a lot of action, and as I said earlier, I went all out. This is by far the longest chapter I have written, but, when you read it, you will understand that a cliffhanger in this chapter would have sat like a stab in the kidney.**

**As I will be updating this chapter along with the previous one, I can't answer any reviews here, so I'll get straight to the point.**

**I recommend you read this while listening to a good OST on your helmets. The Emiya theme is a classic, and the openings of Date a Live in orchestral version goes with the chapter very well. But, my recommendation is a pair of OST called "Mighty wind" and "Yakusokusareta shouri no tsurugi". The people of culture who know these OST will know what is coming.**

**Without further ado, let the chapter begin!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, the Fate franchise, or Date a Live.**

* * *

"Prepare all weapons! The intruder is near!"

A group of about fifteen wizards was stationed in the corridor of the 12th floor of the central office building. They were all pointing their magical enhanced rifles at the downstairs, and their territories were already deployed in preparation.

It was only a few minutes before the alarm had gone off that there was an intruder in the building, and all the wizards who had remained in the building as the last defense against the attack of "Nightmare" had already been deployed in the corridors.

However, despite all their efforts, they had hardly succeeded in delaying the red knight's advance.

Just after the wizard leading the group defending the previously mentioned floor spoke, another tremor shook the building.

There had already been several tremors like that in the last few minutes, and every time they happened, communication with the wizards on a lower floors was lost. That last tremor had been right on the ground floor, causing the wizards to stagger and almost fall to the ground.

"What the hell is wrong with that guy!? Is he even human!?" One of the Wizards gave voice to everyone's thoughts.

Their restlessness and nervousness were more than justified. Thanks to their territories, they had decreased the concentration of oxygen in the air, the temperature had been increased to a suffocating degree, and atmospheric pressure had been modified.

But none of that seemed to affect the man named Itsuka Shidou, who kept moving forward without looking back.

Finally, the golden-eyed boy appeared in the hallway of the 12th floor.

"Fire!"

All the wizards emptied their magazines mercilessly as soon as they saw the intruder.

"Out of my way!"

Shidou swung his European-style sword forward. A burst of light was fired from the foundation of the sacred right to elect the king, destroying everything in its path.

The light instantly incinerated the bullets that went in his direction, destroyed the territories, and sent wizards flying away with their bodies severely burned. The corridor was completely sterile, with the windows facing the outside broken.

Shidou leaned on the blade and took a few moments to catch his breath now that the concentration of oxygen in the place had returned to normal. Even if he wasn't releasing the real name of the original model from all the legends of swords of election so as not to collapse the building, using the mana burst so many times was starting to take its toll.

However, he would keep running without stopping. This surely didn't compare with what Tohka must have been enduring since she was abducted.

Reaffirming his grip on Merodach's handle, he set out to climb to the next floor. But, he stopped when he noticed a lot of magical energy coming in from outside the building.

"Hmph, how unsightly..."

Shidou looked in the direction that voice came from, and saw Miku enter through one of the destroyed windows. Looking out the window, as expected, there was Yoshino on the back of Zadkiel and the Yamai sisters, who must have brought Miku to that place.

"Onee-sama... what do we do now?"

The idol barely apared a wordless look to the red knight before turning to speak to the spirits who had been left outside the building.

"Mmm, that's right. The interior of the building isn't spacious enough for the angels of Yoshino, Kaguya and Yuzuru... Then please stand guard here and do not let the wizards interfere." At the end of her request, she winked at them.

"Kuku, I see. Then we will clear the path that Aneue-sama will use to return."

"Worry. But is it okay for us to leave you alone?"

"Ahaha, no matter how strong they are, they are only human. As a spirit, I won't lose to them."

"If Onee-sama says so..."

"Mm, understood! Leave this area to us! I promise we will extend a velvet carpet for your return in a straight line from this building!"

"Understood. Onee-sama's orders must be obeyed."

After saying that, the three spirits turned and flew to enter the bloody battlefield near the building.

"Now, don't get this wrong..." What Miku was saying was unfinished when she turned to talk to Shidou.

She looked down the hallway, but the red knight was nowhere to be found.

"Where has he gone?"

Her question was answered in the form of another tremor that shook the building, and several screams from people coming from upstairs.

Miku's eyebrows trembled and she gritted her teeth irritated. "That asshole... acting like he didn't even see me!"

* * *

If the battlefield in the office district's airspace was already brutal and bloody, things reached the next level when Mana and Jessica joined it.

Missiles and noble phantasm flew everywhere, mostly the first ones. There was no distinction between allies and enemies. Missiles that missed Mana or were not destroyed by Gate of Babylon's fired weapons eventually hit both, wizards and Kurumi clones.

"Heh, attacking your own comrades? I see you've been reduced to a mere berserker with no capacity for reason. I wanted to test that toy of yours, but there seems to be no reason for it." Mana commented as she watched the crazy woman from the roof of the only intact building.

Of course, none of the missiles had even approached her. Fraxinus had offered to support her, but she refused the offer. It was unnecessary.

"HAHAHAHAHA! DIE, MANA!"

The redhead threw herself at the golden girl at full speed with one of the huge laser swords of her CR-Unit drawn. It was definitely a spectacular kamikaze attack, with no strategy behind it.

Mana mocked her while drawing a certain sword from the treasury, without bothering to bring her down before she approached.

The massive laser sword descended on her head, and she used the model of Roland's sword to stop her attack. The shock was so strong that it sent a strong shock wave across the battlefield and the ground at Mana's feet cracked.

"HAHAHA! I crushed you for sure- Huh!?"

Her laugh stopped when the red-haired wizard realized that her sword was being forced upwards. The golden girl peered out from under the sword intact and gave her a mocking smile.

With her normal human body, Mana could never stop an attack with such strength behind it, and it would even be debatable with her territory. But, in the short period in which she could enter her demi-servant mode, her physical parameters became close to those Gilgamesh had during the Holy Grail War.

Therefore, an attack like that was nothing to her in her current state. Only a spirit or Shidou could match her. in pure strength

Durandal's prototype effortlessly repelled the CleaveLeaf, leaving the wizard wide open.

"Too weak. If you want to hurt someone, do something like this!"

After saying that, she pulled a halberd from the treasury and pointed its blade toward Jessica's chest. The noble phantasm fired a beam of magical energy that sent the mad wizard crashing into the building across the street.

Mana looked at the hole through which her opponent disappeared with a disappointed face.

"Maybe I got a little carried away..."

She set out to check if that had killed the crazy wizard, but stopped and ducked quickly to dodge a surprise attack coming from her back. What looked like a torrent of cold air passed where the top of her body had been.

She turned to look in the direction the attack came from, and raised an eyebrow at what she saw.

"It's an order from Onee-sama... I gonna freeze all wizards...!"

"That was close! Let's go, Yoshino! Freeze that girl!"

A few feet above her was a girl of her age with blue hair riding a huge rabbit puppet.

"Yoshino, huh? If she is here, that means..."

Mana looked around, and as she expected, the Yamai sisters were flying near Yoshino. However, the spirit idol was nowhere to be seen.

"So that lowlife sent Nii-chan's harem to fight and didn't even bother to show up. Pathetic. I wanted to teach her a lesson, but it looks like that'll have to wait."

Kaguya and Yuzuru noticed the presence of the golden girl and prepared to attack her.

"Warning. Be careful, Kaguya. That girl there seems to be Mana, Shidou's sister. He told us we should never upset her."

"Kuku... no wonder she emits such a dangerous aura as Shidou. All right, let's see how strong she is!"

"Hmph, I'm not as soft as Nii-chan. Telling him all those rude things and trying to kill him... You deserve an appropiate punishment!"

The Gate of Babylon opened, firing about fifteen weapons at the Yamai twins, who were flying at high speed to attack her with their angels.

"...!"

"Surprise. This is..."

The two had to stop at once and use their wind to deflect incoming weapons. The noble phantasm dispersed in all directions without succeeding in hitting their target.

"It's a trick like Shidou's, but it's useless against us!"

"Don't be so cocky, lowlife. Of course I know about your abilities."

"Kaguya-san, Yuzuru-san... behind you...!"

Yoshino's warning barely arrived in time. The two identical sisters widened their eyes when they realized that all the diverted weapons corrected their trajectory in mid-air and flew back towards them in an almost omnidirectional attack.

Zadkiel quickly created an ice layer around Kaguya and Yuzuru. Although something so hasty barely offered resistance against the noble phantasms, it gave the twins enough time to react and repel the weapons again, this time making sure they hit the buildings.

After recovering, the three spirits unleashed a combined counterattack composed of strong blasts of wind with sharp fragments of ice.

Mana responded by firing a Vajra in the direction of the attack. The Hindu weapon released its energy, equivalent to a B+ range attack on impact, completely countering the attack. The clash of the attacks created a smoke and steam screen that obstructed Mana's view.

"Haaah!" Anyway, they soon attacked her.

Kaguya appeared from the smoke, flying towards the golden girl at great speed and with her spear ready to impale her.

Mana put the halberd in the treasury and grabbed the hilt of the peerless sword with her two hands. She struck the side of the spear with all her strength, and pushed Kaguya aside.

"Yuzuru!"

Mana's eyes widened as she saw the chain that had approached her, hidden behind Kaguya. She had to lean back to the maximum to avoid being pierced, and yet, the chain missed her nose by an inch.

Before she could regain her balance, several icicles were fired in her direction from the smoke screen. Mana was forced to fire a barrage of weapons to destroy the incoming icicles.

She laid her free hand on the ground and used it as a pivot to roll back and fall back into a defensive stance. If it had taken a second longer, both El' Rem and El' Nahash would have pierced her.

"Tsk." The golden girl clicked her tongue with annoyance.

She didn't want to hurt them too much so Shidou wouldn't get upset, but they weren't making it easy for her. Besides, she was in a hurry.

"How annoying. It looks like I'll have to use _that_."

The spirits realized she was going to try something and rushed to attack her. But they were late.

"Chains of Heaven!"

"Kya!"

"What the...!"

"What in the world are this chains!?"

"Pain. Yuzuru can't move an inch."

The three spirits and the puppet released voices of surprise and pain. The space around them had been filled with golden ripples, and strange chains had completely bind their bodies. No matter how much they tried to break free of them using their powers, the chains didn't loosened a bit.

"It's useless. Even if you don't have a bit of divinity, these chains bind space itself. With your current powers you can never break them. Now then..."

Mana could already hear the voice of the King of Heroes in her head, admonishing her for using his most precious treasure for something like this.

She ignored him as best she could and pulled out of the treasury a rock tablet with runes engraved on it.

"This is a good opportunity to get you out of the control of that lowlife..."

"MAAAANAAAAA!"

Before she could do anything, a shout filled with madness echoed on the battlefield.

"Tch, she's still alive?"

Her gaze shifted to the three spirits who were still struggling with the chains. She couldn't leave them like that, or they would be caught in the crossfire. But, releasing them was not an option either. If she had to fight all four together, she'd be forced to pull out the heavy weapons.

The golden girl looked around for something to give her an idea, and then saw a certain group of wizards flying toward the battlefield.

Their CR-Units were different from those of DEM wizards. They were the AST wizards, probably called as backup.

A smile shone across Mana's lips as an idea grew in her mind.

"Hey, Captain Kusakabe!" She caught the attention of the head of the AST main squad.

"Huh? You're... Mana!?" Kyoko looked at the golden girl with surprise, but she barely had time to react.

"I'll let you handle these girls for me!"

With a mental order, the chains binding Yoshino, Kaguya, Yuzuru and their respective angels moved as if they were alive and threw the girls in the direction of the AST wizards.

The spirits, dizzy and confused by the sudden situation, attacked the wizards by reflex, forcing the squad to disperse.

"Uwaah!? Everyone, counterattack! Team A against "Hermit", team B against "Berserk"." However, the captain kept her composure and began leading the squad to strike back.

"With that solved for now..." Mana's attention shifted to the tank that was flying towards her, firing all of its weapons at once.

"MAAAAAAAANAAAAAAAA!"

"You are persistent. Die and remain silent."

She, taking advantage of having the spellbook of the wisest King already in her hands, used it to fight back. The ancient runes shone with power, and the Gate of Babylon opened, showing the tip of several magical staffs and wands containing mysteries from the Age of the Gods.

"Fire!"

The staffs fired magical energy beams that destroyed the missiles and continued their way until they hit the defensive territory of the "Scarlet Licorice". The CR-Unit's defensive territori barely managed to withstand the impact.

Mana set out to fire another barrage of beams to completely destroy the territory and finish off that annoying woman once and for all, but her instincts began to ring alarms in her head.

She, using her reflexes, brought her right hand behind her head and received the surprise attack.

"Huh!?" A metallic sound echoed in the area, followed by a surprised voice from the attacker.

The hand that should have been cut without problems by the most powerful laser sword that DEM created, was grabbing the sword by its blade smoothly, protected by a golden gauntlet.

Mana turned to see her new opponent still surprised, and recognized her immediately. She was the woman who loved to brag about her title of "The Strongest."

"Hoh, so you decided to join the party too, lowlife."

Ellen regained her composure quickly and responded to Mana's arrogant smile with her own. "I see you were keeping a few tricks up your sleeve this whole time. Let's see if they're good enough for you to put up some fight against me."

"Hmph..."

Mana didn't have time to respond to her provocation. The smoke surrounding Jessica caused by Mana's attack dispersed, revealing the mad wizard with her mana cannons ready to fire.

Mana gave Ellen a wicked smile before throwing her like a rag doll at the crazy woman. The "strongest wizard" was taken by surprise by the monstrous strength that Mana showed.

Jessica, in her state of insanity, didn't care that her superior was on the way, and she fired anyway.

Ellen was forced to deploy her defensive territory, unintentionally protecting Mana. The silver-haired wizard used her territory to regain her stability and move away from the crazy woman.

"Well, this is a good opportunity." Mana's expression became a dead serious one as she watched the two DEM wizards. "I gonna make you pay for what you did to my body, and I gonna put you in your place as the scum you are!"

After saying that the Gate of Babylon opened, showing the blades of more than fifty noble phantasms. She really was pulling out all the stops.

* * *

"Hey you... wait!"

Miku, after an intense run, reached the red knight a couple of floors up.

Shidou continued to walk forward to the next floor stairs, completely ignoring the presence of the idol.

"Don't ignore me, you damn human! I want you to answer one question!"

Hearing that, the golden-eyed boy stopped, but didn't bother to turn around. Miku took that as an indication that he was finally going to listen to her.

"You... why are you going so far to save Tohka?"

"I already told you. I don't need a reason to help someone."

Miku gritted her teeth at that answer. "It can't be just that! You must have a reason! Humans don't think that way!"

Shidou remained silent for a few seconds, and he began to wordlessly walk forward again. That angered Miku even more.

She then began to mock him. "Hmph. Did you get intoxicated with the idea of saving the heroine? Could it be that? You can't give up because you already told me you'd come to save Tohka no matter what? It's okay, actually. I know how disgusting humans are for a long time, so I won't be disappointed."

"..." Shidou kept ignoring her.

Then, the idol struck her hand as if she had thought of something. "Oh, I know. Then let's do this. Go ahead, tell me you give up on Tohka. If you say that, I will use my "voice" and make all the girls you want your slaves. What do you think? They will all absolutely obey your words. They will do anything for you. It's not a bad deal, is it?"

Shidou stopped again. But this time, he turned to look at Miku. His cold look made a shiver run down her back. He was really pissed off.

"If you came to talk nonsense like that, then get out. I don't have time to deal with you right now."

Miku clenched her fists and held her ground. "Stop pretending to be all selfless and nice! It's impossible for a human to be so selfless. You have some goal, a reason to help people! You must have it!"

"I don't know who told you I'm selfless, but who did it was spectacularly wrong."

"Huh!?" That caught Miku by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not selfless at all. In fact, I'm a very selfish person. The reason I help others is because it's the only way I know to achieve happiness, and my ideals are full of hypocrisy. To seve a person, that person has to be in danger."

"What..."

Shidou's gaze again was filled with resolution. "But I won't give up. No matter what kind of offers you make me, I won't give up on Tohka. To do so would be to betray my dream and my beliefs, and that is something I will never do!"

Miku again was speechless. This man... His way of thinking... was too strange and different from other people's.

"Shut up! What's kind of messed up way of thinking is that!? It's impossible for a man to think like that!"

"Hmph. Then, let me ask you a question. Why do you despise humans so much? Aren't you also a human?"

Miku's eyes widened after hearing that, and her eyebrows hid behind her bangs. That was the truth that Kurumi discovered among the memories stored on Yoimachi Tsukino's CDs, and later told Shidou.

"How do you know that?"

"I did my research. You were a human, until a certain strange entity appeared before you and offered you a crystal containing immense power, right?"

By the way she took a step back breathlessly, he knew he hit the nail on the head. Looks like "Phantom" turned more humans into spirits aside from Kotori.

After discovering that, there was only one question left to solve. If Miku was originally a human, why did she repudiate humans to that extent?

"Answer me. Why do you hate humans then?"

"Don't play with me... What do you know about me!"

"I won't know if you don't tell me. Miku, what happened to you to end up like this?"

"... Fuuun. And why should I tell you?"

Shidou kept staring at her wordlessly. That proved to be effective, as Miku couldn't stand the stare and ended up sighing.

"How persistent..."

It was then that she told her story to Shidou. The story of a girl who from an early age realized one thing. Singing was all she had.

* * *

Izayoi Miku never excelled in her academic results, physical tests or crafts. She was an average girl. However, if it was about singing, she easily surpassed all the people around her. They always praised her for her voice, and that made her proud.

From a young age, she was fascinated by those girls who sang and danced on stage. She always imitated them, a fact that surprised her parents.

It was at the age of fifteen that she caught the attention of the judges of an audition and was able to debut as an idol under the pseudonym Yoimachi Tsukino.

Those were the happiest moments of her life. She could stand on stage and sing, like those girls she so admired, and her voice was heard by many people.

Although her career didn't compare with today's, things were going well. Her CDs smoothly entered the charts, and her live concert audience began to grow at a steady pace.

90 percent of her audience was male. Although that made the current Miku's hair stand on end, for the Miku of that time they were her precious audience who said they loved her songs.

She liked to record CDs, but what she enjoyed most was live concerts, where she felt her songs really reached her audience.

Everyone praised her singing.

Everyone said they loved her.

She thought that dream time would last forever, but...

Tragedy finally arrived. A year after her debut, her manager told her that the director of a rather famous production company had taken an interest in her. If she got along with him, then she'd be able to get a primetime, or something.

Miku was not stupid, and realized what her manager meant by "getting along".

Of course, she politely refused the offer. She didn't mind being on TV. She just wanted people to hear her voice.

A short time later, a fake scandal was made public in the magazines.

It alluded to her past relationships, experiences with abortion, drugs, etc...

Apparently, the producer who had taken an interest in her was a friend of the president of Miku's agency, and she easily lost her job.

But the most important thing was the reaction of her fans, or rather, the ones she thought were her fans.

People who said things like "I like it," "I love you," and "I would die for you," suddenly began to cast her aside as if they were betraying her.

It was really painful to know that people believed in those rumors spread by an unknown person rather than Miku's words.

She began to receive harsh words during events, and fewer and fewer people attended her concerts and autograph signatures.

But, Miku didn't give up. She only had her singing to begin with. That was all she needed. In her heart there was still some confidence.

And then, she stood on the stage once again...

But it was in vain. She panicked, watching with fear the people filling the arena.

When she set out to sing, only air came out of her throat.

She was diagnosed with aphonia due to a psychological problem.

And so, the life of Yoimachi Tsukino came to an end. Without her voice, she had no reason to live.

She walked to the edge of the roof to end her life. But just before she jumped, "God" appeared before her.

_"The humans disappoint you. You think this world is hopeless. Hey, you want power? A power big enough to change the world?"_

* * *

"I... lost it once. Due to a psychological disorder caused by those horrible men, I lost my voice... This voice... is much more important than my life! I thought about suicide, but then "God" appeared and gave me this "voice". The best voice capable of charming people when I sing!"

Miku finished telling her story, letting out all her emotions. Her body trembled, and she looked like she was going to cry at any moment.

"I see..." Shidou kept his stoic face throughout the story. With this, all the pieces fell together.

She didn't despise humans. She was afraid of them... She was afraid she'd be betrayed again if she treated them equally.

That's why... she didn't expect anything from the beginning.

"That's why I hate men! They're vulgar, dirty and ugly... Just seeing them makes me want to vomit! The same goes for the girls! I don't need anything more than the cute girls who obey me! All humans should die!"

Shidou frowned as he heard those words full of disgust. Although he could see the reason behind her hatred toward humans, her attitude still seemed wrong to him.

"Hmph. Just looking at the worst this world has to offer, you already gave up?"

"Shut up! All men are the same!"

"No. Although I admit that producer and those fans get on my nerves, you are also wrong!"

"What did you say!? "

"There they are! They are the intruders!"

The conversation was interrupted by a group of wizards who descended the stairs. Miku prepared to use her voice, but it wasn't necessary.

Without bothering to turn to look at them, the red knight projected about twenty noble phantasms and fired them toward the group of wizards.

They couldn't even react. Their territories were easily pierced, and massacred by the legendary swords.

Shidou continued to speak as if nothing had happened, while he turned to continue climbing to the next floor.

"You lost your voice because you were afraid of people, and you're still afraid of them!"

Miku followed him closely. "Me, scared of humans!? What nonsense are you saying!?"

"If that's the case, why did you avoid appearing in public so much? You were afraid you would be rejected again. But, still, a part of you still wants to interact with humans!"

"Stop saying stupid things! What do you know!? It's impossible for someone like you to understand me."

"I can't say I understand what you went through. But, I can make deductions. You, who rejects normal people who don't obey you because of your "voice", got interested in the one person you couldn't control. That was Itsuka Shiori."

Miku remained silent and distorted her expression.

Arriving on the next floor, they met another group of wizards, but against Miku's "voice" and Merodach's light, they were completely defeated without being able to do anything.

The two continued to argue as they forced their way through the waves of wizards.

"Besides, when you debuted again, you used your real name, not a pseudonym like "Yoimachi Tsukino". That's because deep down you want someone to notice your presence. And that someone is those humans you despise so much!"

"SHUT UP! Shut up and keep quiet! You are completely wrong! You're just an idiot who makes girls fall in love with you and then pretend the whole thing doesn't go with you!"

"Do you think I'm not aware of it!?"

"Huh!?"

"I know, damn it! I know that girls like them deserve someone much better than someone like me! Someone who is not so alien to the concept of love and can return their feelings! But sealing their powers was the only way to save them without sacrificing lives!"

Miku stepped back completely in shock after hearing his speech. For a moment, it seemed like the roles had been switched, and he was the one having an existential crisis.

"S-stop playing the victim! You aren't fooling anyone! You're just embarrassing yourself!"

"Tch. I cannot leave Yoshino, Kaguya and Yuzuru with a person like you. I'm sealing your powers for sure when this is over!"

"No! I won't let you leave me without my voice again! If you do, then I... will go back to the time when I couldn't sing! The time when I was good for nothing!"

"That's what's really wrong with you!"

Shidou's angry scream left Miku speechless.

"What the hell is that about you being nothing without your voice!? Look, I don't want to save your voice! I want to save you, Izayoi Miku! And the first step to that is to make you realize that you have value as a person even without your "voice"!"

"Please don't talk like you know! If I have this voice, I can be the ultimate idol! Who would listen to my songs if I lose my voice!?"

"Hmph. I may not have any idea of music and songs, but I found Yoimachi Tsukino's songs much better than Izayoi Miku's."

Miku's whole body trembled upon hearing that. "What...? You haven't even heard my songs!"

"I did! Back then it was noticeable that you put all your effort and heart into it, while now you just abuse your power! Therefore, even if you lose your "voice", you still have value. If even someone like me could figure it out, then there must be a lot of people out there who can do it!"

By that point, some tears began to form on the edges of Miku's eyes.

"Those words... I won't believe them! All the fans who said that didn't believe me! When I was suffering... no one reached out to me!"

Shidou gritted his teeth. It all came down to all her fans rejecting her. The concept of a fan was alien to him, but his stance on other people's opinions had been always the same.

"You want to be an idol, right? That's the path you chose, isn't it? Then, what others say shouldn't matter at all! If you follow that path to the end, giving it your best effort, then you will have no regrets! And if you need someone to reach out and help you, then you have me here!"

"Don't say such convenient things! Then, if I were a situation like Tohka-san, would you come save me!?"

"Of course I'd do it!" The answer came almost instantaneously.

Miku struggled to try to deny his words, but it was really hard with that resolute look.

"A-all that is nothing but lies! I'm definitely not going to believe you!"

"Stop right there!"

When they reached the 17th floor, they found a wizard who gave off an aura very different from the others. He was a tall man, and he carried what looked like a heavy machine gun that usually were at the sides of helicopters.

"It looks like you two have been doing what you wanted, but that ends here-!"

His speech was left unfinished when a steel boot slammed into his face. The man flew away like a rag doll with a bloody face until he hit the back wall.

Shidou, who was quite pissed because the argument, and basically the whole situation he was in, didn't contain his strength in the slightless. In fact he even used a mana burst to increase the strength of the flying kick.

Shidou let out a very heavy sigh. That served to blow off some steam.

After relaxing, he turned to look at Miku again. "Why did you come here in the first place? You're not gonna tell me you came to help, are you?"

"O-of course not! I just came to add Tohka-san to my collection of cute girls."

Shidou squinted at that. The way she stuttered and took a while to answer, he knew that wasn't the truth, but he let it go. Continuing to argue would only delay him further.

The two went up to the final floor in an awkward silence.

* * *

Both the "White Licorice" and the "Scarlet Licorice" were created to be the most powerful CR-Unit, capable of matching the immense power of spirits.

They were the ultimate expression of power achieved through the science and advanced technology of DEM industries.

However, that fell short compared to the ultimate expression of overwhelming power...

"MAAAANAAAAAAAAAA!"

Jessica simultaneously fired the entire arsenal of her CR-Unit. Missiles, machine guns, mana cannons, even threw her laser swords in their rebbons forms. Her body was starting to bleed everywhere from the enormous pressure of handling all that, and she only had a few minutes left before her body collapsed.

But, that hardly served her to not be immediately crushed by the endless rain of noble phantasms.

Legendary weapons descended upon them like gushing water. The woman who boasted of the title of "The World's Strongest Wizard" couldn't do anything but staying behind the crazy wizard, using her as a shield so as not to be obliterated.

"What kind of madness is this...? I knew she had many powerful weapons, but this is ridiculous!"

"Hahahaha!" A mocking laugh came from the demon that was crushing them. "You're running out of time, lowlife!"

The golden girl was right. By the time Jessica collapsed, she would be crushed soon after by the rain of noble phantasm if she did nothing.

But, that's not what Mana was referring to. Ellen's eyebrows twitched when she noticed something in the territory she had established around the room where Tohka and Westcott were.

"Ike!"

Someone had crossed the territory, and there was only one person who had infiltrated the place apart from Mana and "Nightmare"...

"Do you realize now?" Mana gave her a wicked smile, already guessing what she was thinking. "Nii-chan was really pissed off when I met him. He's gonna beat the shit out of that mongrel you love so much for sure."

Ellen definitely had to hurry up and get back with Ike, even if it meant fleeing the battle.

Still, Mana was not going to just let her run away. Beneath that smug expression was a huge, barely contained anger. She didn't really take very well what they did to her body.

The only one Ellen could trust right now was the crazy woman in front of her. And by now, Jessica looked more like a walking corpse, barely moved by her anger and hatred toward the person who always looked down on her and despised her.

But, there was still something else that moved the redheaded woman above those negative emotions. And that was, her absolute loyalty to Isaac Westcott.

With that in mind, Ellen tried her last desperate plan. ""Adeptus 3"! If you can defeat the traitor Takamiya Mana, Lord Westcott will reward you with whatever you want!"

Those words ignited something inside the woman immersed in madness.

"ROOOOOAAAAARRR!" The redhead let out a beastly roar that must have completely torn her throat, and threw herself at the golden girl in a hopeless charge.

"Hoh..." Mana observed the woman's last desperate attempt with amusement. "If you're going to attack with everything, then I have to answer properly."

With that said, the Gate of Babylon stopped firing C-rank noble phantasms, and began firing weapons of the highest quality.

Both, the weapons and the defensive territory of the "Scarlet Licorice", were crushed in no time.

Parts of the CR-Unit began to fall apart, and Jessica's body was pierced by multiple blades. But the woman didn't give up and kept moving forward.

When the woman was less than a meter from her enemy, Mana made a gesture to close the treasury. It was not a gesture of overconfidence. It was simply no longer necessary.

"Ma... na..."

The golden girl grabbed the crazy woman by her neck. Her body had already completely collapsed. It could be said that the woman was in a vegetative state.

Mana's expression changed to a solemn one. "I must admit. You fought well to the end, Jessica. Besides, I can sympathize with you and what they did to your body. Therefore... I'll quickly end your suffering."

She drew a random sword from the treasury and stabbed it into the woman's heart, killing her instantly. After that, she gently left her body on the roof she was on and looked up to look for Ellen Mathers.

As expected, she had taken advantage of the opening Jessica provided and was returning to the central building.

"Hmph. You are not running away from me!"

A red spear appeared over her head. It was the model from which legendary spears such as Gae Bolg and Gungnir originated. In short, a spear with the property of never missing its target.

But before she could shoot her, she felt an attack coming from behind, again.

The golden girl was starting to get pissed with so much surprise attack. She simply turned and deflected the absolute zero beam with her hand still covered by the golden gauntlet.

Even if it was only a part of Gilgamesh's favorite golden armor, its massive magical resistance repelled the surprise attack with ease.

"Tch. I suppose dealing with three spirits at once was too much for the AST."

She turned to look at the three brainwashed spirits. Her body wouldn't last more than five minutes more in Demi-Servant mode, so she had to end this quickly. Although she could still use the Gate of Babylon, her body would return to that of an ordinary 13-year-old girl.

It was a shame, but she'd have to leave dealing with that woman to Shidou.

* * *

"So this is where Tohka is being held?" Miku asked as she watched the reinforced concrete wall with a steel door in the center.

The idol and the red knight had just arrived on the 18th floor, and they didn't have to look much to find what most resembled a sterile room to imprison spirits.

"Yes. This matchs the description of "sterile room" perfectly."

The two approached to inspect the door. Next to it was what looked like a card reader. They probably used ID cards as keys.

"Did you get a card to get in?"

"No."

Shidou's plain answer made the idol's eyes widen.

"Is there nothing in that pile of ugliness you call head!? There are many ways to get a key! Wait here, I'll go to get-!"

"It isn't necessary." Shidou stopped her before she went downstairs to look for an ID card.

"Huh?"

"Trace, on."

Shidou take a couple of steps back, and in his hands appeared a huge sword made of stone. It didn't take Miku long to figure out what he was going to do.

"Wait-!"

"HAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Absorbing the experience contained in the weapon and reproducing the monstrous strength of Greece's greatest hero through the mana burst, Shidou swung the axe-sword forward.

The door could have been made of glass, and the result would have been the same. What was supposed to be a defense to contain a spirit, a being far superior to human beings, was easily destroyed.

Where the metal door had been moments ago, there was now a huge hole, and even part of the concrete wall had been torn out.

"Are you crazy!?" Miku approached Shidou as he let the sword fade. "What if Tohka is right on the other side of that door!?"

"I really doubt that door is the only thing that separates Tohka from the outside. Even with her limited power, she too should be able to destroy it."

Miku still looked at him with a scowl for a few moments, but finally let it be.

The two cautiously entered the room. The interior was very similar to the containment room at Fraxinus. Within the wide dark zone, there was a large box made of glass that looked quite solid.

And inside the glass cell, there was Tohka. She was attached to a chair, and she looked unconscious. Shidou was relieved to see that she was still alive, but he still didn't let his guard down. He inspected the room, looking for someone who was standing guard in the room, and then...

He found _him_.

A sound of palms echoed in the quiet room. There, on one side of the room, was a man sitting in a chair, clapping while looking at them with a smiling face.

"That was a triumphal entrance fit for knight in shining armor coming to rescue the princess. That door cost a lot of money, though..."

The man gave off an oppressive and dark aura that put both Miku and Shidou on alert. The idol manifested Gabriel in front of her and Shidou prepared to project Kanshou and Bakuya at any time.

"And you are...?"

"I guess presentations are in order. I'm Isaac Westcott, president of DEM Industries. I welcome you, "Diva" and Takamiya- oh wait, my fault. You are now called Itsuka Shidou, right? You both are so alike that it is easy to confuse you." He began to laugh softly after saying that.

Shidou narrowed his eyes even more. The aura of the man, his twisted smile, and his expression of "I know something you don't"... He could already say that he and this man were not going to get along.

In fact, this man reminded him of someone he knew... A certain fake priest...

"What is this freak talking about?" Miku asked somewhat uneasy.

"I don't know. But, most importantly now..." Shidou raised his voice to draw the attention of his enemy. "You, let Tohka go right now!"

The order was accompanied by a great deal of murderous intent.

But, Westcott didn't even blink. "If I don't, then what will you do?"

"Then..." In that moment, the married swords appeared in his hands. "I'll get rid of you."

That wasn't a threat. It was an statement. Both Miku and Westcott knew that.

The guy's reaction was giving another giggle and shrugging. "I'm kidding... I'm not strong like Ellen. I'm so afraid to fight a spirit and the boy who left Ellen unable to lift a finger for weeks."

After saying that, he turned to operate a console on the wall. When he finished typing, a sound of machinery was heard for a few moments, and finally, the shackles holding Tohka were open.

Shidou gave his enemy one last suspicious look. Of course, he didn't buy in the least his speech about not being able to fight. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly pulls out two sets of Black Keys from the sleeves of is buisness suit.

However, his urgency to check Tohka's state won over his caution, and he approached the glass wall. "Tohka!"

His voice seemed to reach the other side of the glass, as Tohka reacted by raising her head lazily.

"Shi... dou...?" She rose slowly from the chair and carved her eyes to get rid of her drowsiness.

Finally, she woke up completely, and realized that Shidou was really there.

"Shidou!" She tore off the electrodes covering her body and ran to the edge of the glass. She looked like she was going to cry with joy.

"Sorry. It took me too long, Tohka."

She shook her head at the red knight's apology. Just with the fact that he came to rescue her she was already very happy.

Shidou looked away so that she wouldn't see his face distorted by anger. Tohka's skin was completely pale, and she showed clear signs of having been tortured, at least psychologically.

"You, get her out of there right now!"

"Do it yourself. You have the means, don't you?"

Shidou gritted his teeth, barely suppressing the urge to turn that man into a pincushion. Without words, he prepared to swing Bakuya with all his might...

But, to everyone's surprise, instead of swinging the sword toward the crystal, he quickly turned and swung the married sword in front of him.

A sound of metal shock echoed throughout the room, and the laser sword attempting to pierce his back was successfully repelled.

A silver-haired wizard landed next to Westcott, her expression filled with irritation.

"Tsk, I failed..."

"Hmph. If you're going to attack someone from behind, make sure they don't have a glass in front of them in which they can see you reflected. And make something with that massive killing intent."

The other people in the room finally realized what had just happened. Tohka, who had seen Ellen arrive but didn't have time to warn Shidou, collapsed with a sigh of relief, her heart still beating fast.

Miku blinked a couple of times, not knowing very well what happened, and Westcott looked at Ellen, his smiling expression remaining unchanged.

"You arrived just in time, my dear Ellen. If you had taken a little longer, I am sure he would have killed me."

"No. I apologize for not getting here earlier, Ike. Although, is it okay for me to attack him?"

"It doesn't matter. Rather, it's better that way. This battle will be the final step to achieving our goal. So, your duty now is to finish off that irregular boy in front of you, Ellen."

"Understood." The "World's Strongest Wizard" pointed her sword at the red knight. "Itsuka Shidou, challenge you to a duel. This time, there will be no surprise attack or external factor. I plan to make you pay for what you did to me last time!"

"Fine by me... Because now I'm genuinely pissed off! Not only did you kidnap Tohka, but you also tortured her! The time you're going to be eating throught a straw is going to be much longer this time!"

The two, full of cold anger, threw themselves at each other. Their swords collided at imperceptible speeds, beginning a fierce fight.

Westcott walked away to enjoy the fight from a safe distance. Miku, despite being a spirit, could barely see what was going on, and Tohka looked at the fight with an expression that looked like she was going to have a heart attack.

She couldn't stand aside when Shidou was fighting for her. It was situations like this why she asked him to train her. Just seeing him fighting alone again made her heart hurt so much.

"Sandalphon! Sandalphon! Sandalphon!" Tohka struck the glass with all her might, not caring if her hands began to bleed, and stomped hard on the ground trying to summon her angel.

Her actions attracted Miku's attention, who looked at her curiously.

Finally, her limited astral dress is manifested along with her greatsword.

But, as much as she tried to cut the glass that prevented her from helping Shidou in his fight, she failed. For some reason, the brightness of Sandalphon was very faint, and barely compared even to the other times she manifested it in its limited state.

"Why... Why, why, why, why!? Why it doesn't work!?"

"Hey, what's the matter? Why are you-?"

Miku's questions made Tohka aware of her presence. But, she completely ignored the questions of the idol.

"You! Your name was Izayoi Miku, right!? Please, you have to help Shidou!"

Tohka's desperation took Miku by surprise. "And why should I help him?"

"I-if anything happens to him for fighting for my sake... I-I wouldn't know what to do... I can't let him fight alone anymore! I beg you, help Shidou!"

The idol was speechless. Although this was exactly as the girls had told her, a part of her hoped they were exaggerating.

"Why is Shidou so important to you?"

"Because he was the one who reached out to me when no one did! He was the one who saved me from that cycle of aggression and gave me the chance to have a peaceful life. He's always by my side, worrying about my well-being!"

Those words caused Miku's heart to skip a beat. She backed off, refusing to accept what she was hearing.

"If you're not going to help him, then help me! Help me get out of here so I can help him!"

"HAHAHAHA!" Meanwhile, across the room, Westcott was laughing as he watched Ellen and Shidou fight.

"Who would have thought that naive boy would reach such heighs! That woman has really created a perfect monster to fight the wizards!"

Contrary to what viewers' reactions suggested, the fight wasn't going so well for Ellen.

The silver-haired wizard clenched her teeth with vexation. None of her attacks could land on the red knight.

The boy seemed to predict all her movements and react in the most efficient way. His sword style was nothing like any conventional style. His movements flowed like a clear stream, and talked about an immeasurable combat experience. Which shouldn't be possible considering he was a 16-year-old.

In the other hand, he had also failed to land any decisive attack. Thanks to her territory, Ellen could sense where her opponet's attacks were heading, making parrying and avoiding them much easier.

However, the red knight quickly adapted to her fighting style, and began to use feints and change the course of his attacks in mid-swing to confuse her.

Suddenly, the red knight threw an upward cut at her with Bakuya. The attack was aimed at her left side of her chest, an attack that surely would cause a fatal wound.

But, something was off. The attack was too telegraphed and predictable. Ellen quickly came to the logical conclusion that it was another feint, and prepared to predict where the attack was really aimed at.

However, the attack continued its original trajectory unchanged, confusing the wizard even more.

Although she had a feeling that it was a trap, she had no choice but to block the attack.

It was then, that she realized the enormous amount of magical energy accumulated in her opponent's arm and his white sword.

By the time Bakuya hit Caledfwlch, all that energy exploded violently, abruptly increasing the strength of the attack.

"Huh!?"

Unable to react in time, Ellen's sword was forced upward, leaving her chest unprotected.

Shidou stepped forward and threw another cut with Kanshou aiming at her unprotected chest.

Ellen, knowing she couldn't bring her sword back in time to block the attack, jumped back to try to evade the attack. But she wasn't fast enough.

Although she avoided being cut in half, the Yang sword still tore her mechanical suit and left a quite deep cut in her chest.

Just a few weeks later, her body, which hadn't been damaged for years, felt intense pain again.

"How dare you-!"

But, Shidou didn't stop there and continued his offensive. Bakuya flew at great speed towards her neck in a thrust.

This time, though narrowly, Ellen was sure she could bring her sword in time to deflect the attack. Once done, his enemy would be open, and it would be a matter of whether he could bring back the black sword in time...

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

... But a shrill voice thwarted Ellen's plans.

Metal tubes erupted around Ellen, transmitting the voice directly to her ears. Diva's voice, though unable to charm her, still made her movements a little slower.

What should have been a smooth blocking became a hurried deflect that barely prevented her main arteries from being cut. She got another debilitating cut again.

Although she could stop the bleeding with her territory, she couldn't afford to concentrate on anything but the fight.

Shidou continued to attack relentlessly, and threw a high kick with his left leg toward her head. If he used the same strength he used a few moments ago, that attack would definitely knock her out with a severe head trauma.

Ellen, with her movements still slowed down, had no choice but to stop holding her sword with her right hand, and put her right arm quickly on the path of the kick.

"Nhg!" She growled in pain when the kick connected. Her mechanical suit could barely withstand the blow, and she could feel her arm bones cracking.

She finally managed to get rid of the effects of Miku's "voice" with her territory, and swung her sword down aiming Shidou's head. The red knight chose to jump back to avoid the attack and pull himself together.

He landed next to Miku, and looked at her sideways. Her reaction was to snort and look away.

Shidou's lips curved slightly upward. It seemed that his words had finally pierced the wall that she erected around her and had reached her.

However, the faint smile disappeared when he focused his attention on his enemy again.

Ellen was looking at him with an expression that overflowed with anger. Her left hand was on her chest wound, and her fractured right arm could barely hold her sword.

"How dare you..." After being hurt twice by the same boy, her enormous pride suffered a hard blow. "How dare you! I will not lose here! Not when we are sp close to our dream!"

After saying that, she modified the shape of the weapon on her left shoulder, forming what looked like a barrel emerging from below her armpit. In an instant, all the immense amount of mana that Ellen could manipulate with her CR-Unit was concentrated in the cannon and fired.

"Pierce, Rongomyniad!"

A huge beam of light was fired from the cannon towards Shidou. The time he had to react was minimal.

He knew he didn't have time to pull out Rho Aias. But, if he put a great deal of magical energy in his legs, he could jump to the side to avoid the attack, or at least not receive it directly.

But then, he realized that Miku beside him wasn't moving to dodge the attack. Although the attack was directed at Shidou, she was also within the range of the light beam.

From her horror-filled face, he could tell that the panic of seeing an attack of such magnitude approaching paralyzed her. And the odds of her dying if she recieved that attack were higher than Shidou's.

In that split-second before the attack hit him, Shidou made his decision.

"Huh!?"

Miku released a surprise yelp when she noticed a hand pushing her to a side. In the middle of the air, she turned her head to see who had pushed her so rudely, only to see Shidou engulfed by the beam of light.

The power of the weapon blew up parts of the walls and ceiling like paper, and even destroyed the glass cell in which Tohka was.

Once the blinding light disappeared, what had been the wall at the back of the room became a huge hole that was covered by debris that fell from the top floor. And...

Shidou could not be seen anywhere.

"He... He really... did it..." Miku looked at the collapsed wall, falling on her knees and in complete shock.

He saved her from that attack that was certainly going to kill her. That man did it. Itsuka Shidou did it... even if it meant taking that attack instead...

Tears began to fall down her cheeks. She felt a lump in her throat as she extended her trembling hand towards the collapsed wall. For once in a long time, she didn't feel it was disgusting that a man touched her.

_"I want to save you, Izayoi Miku."_

He had definitely kept his promise. But... what struck her most was the expression he making right before he was swallowed by that beam of light.

In that brief moment, he had an expression of relief. He was relieved to see that he had gotten her out of range of the attack and she wouldn't suffer any damage.

If she had known such a man back then... maybe things would have been very different...

But now that man was gone forever...

While Miku sobbed, Westcott approached Ellen, who was trying to catch her breath. His smile remained as he looked at the heap of debris on which Itsuka Shidou must have been buried.

"Fate can be really twisted at times. That boy found his end again by clinging to those utopian ideals of his. But, the important thing is that you defeated the enemy who was the last obstacle between us and our dream."

"Yes, we did it, Ike... But what is going to happen now?"

"Just sit there and look. It's already starting." Westcott's gaze turned to the other person in the room.

Tohka walked with trembling steps towards the debris. She had dropped Sandalphon, and her expression at that time looked like a broken mirror.

"Shidou... Where are you, Shidou?" She stood in front of the rubble, and began to speak as if Shidou were in front of her. She seemed unable to accept the fact that Shidou was gone.

"Come on, get out of there already, Shidou. I don't like this kind of jokes. I know you're somewhere, and you're going show up to beat that woman once and for all, right?"

Her words were followed by a silence in which only Miku's gentle sobs could be heard.

Tohka began to panic as she began to realize that Shidou had really gone.

"If you can't get up from the rubble, I'll help you!" She began to raise debris frantically, clinging to the hope that he was alive under the rubble.

She couldn't accept it... that the boy who saved her was gone forever. All those happy moments she spent with him flashed through her mind. She refused to believe that all that was over just like that.

He must be alive. Even if he was severely wounded, Kotori's flames would heal him. In any moment, she'd lift a piece of concrete and find him... right?

"Ah..."

Finally, she did found something after lifting a piece of concrete. It was a torn piece of the red mantle he had been wearing, stained with blood.

"Ah..."

She grabbed the piece of cloth with her hands and brought it to her chest. It was at that moment that she finally accepted it.

Itsuka Shidou died right in front of her... and she couldn't do anything to prevent it.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Tohka's consciousness faded, and she felt an unknown sensation dragging her away.

* * *

A loud alarm echoed on Fraxinus' bridge. It was the highest level of emergency, something Kotori had not heard since that day she and Shidou met Mana.

"What's going on?"

She asked her subordinates in a calm tone, even though she got restless hearing that. Mana was dealing with the three brainwashed spirits with Fraxinus' support, but that wasn't something that could have trigger alarm.

They had already set the alarm so that it wouldn't went off when she summoned many noble phantasms.

The answer came in the form of cry of surprise from operator Shiizaki.

"What is it?"

"About that..." She hesitated before answering her commander's question.

"Commander, Fraxinus' observation device isn't working, is it?"

"Huh? What are you saying? What we're having trouble with is communications, right? Hurry up and answer. What exactly is going on?"

"E-rank... the spiritual value we are getting is negative!"

"What!?" Kotori's eyes widened upon hearing that.

In that moment, they picked up something strange on the monitor that showed the image of the building Shidou and company were in.

Well, a few moments ago, they saw a beam of light coming out of one of the walls on the top floors, but since Shidou had been firing beams of light repeatedly during his climb, they assumed it was his doing.

But, what the monitor now showed was some kind of pillar of darkness that emerged from the building.

"No way..."

Kotori then understood what was happening. The worst case had happened.

An inversion of the Sephira's crystal.

* * *

"Ike, this is..." Ellen asked Westcott, who was laughing nonstop right now.

In front of them, Yatogami Tohka had been enveloped by what looked like dark light for a few seconds, and when it dissipated, she was wearing a dark armor and a spectral veil tied her hair.

The overwhelming power she exuded now couldn't compare to the one she had before, and now she wielded a sword very different from Sandalphon.

"Tohka" looked around quietly. "What is this place?"

Her gaze eventually landed on Miku, and regardless of the state the idol was in, she asked her.

"You. Answer me. What is this place?"

Her rude question brought the idol out of her trance. "Huh? The Japanese branch of DEM industries, right?"

"I've never heard of such a place... Then, why am I in this place?"

"Weren't you captured and brought here by the DEM Wizards?"

Miku, totally confused by Tohka's radical change of personality, looked in the direction of Ellen and Westcott. "Tohka" followed her gaze and also looked at them.

"The Demon King has finally arrived!" Westcott began to speak with a voice full of excitement. "I had never seen such a perfect inverse type... Look at this, Ellen. This is the fruit of our dream..."

He then took a look at Ellen's current state. "Finally, the enemy you must defeat appeared before you. But, I'm afraid you are in no condition to fight her, Ellen."

She nodded reluctantly. "Yes. If I were at my peak, I could certainly defeat her. But, in my current state, killing her would be an almost impossible task."

"Then, we have no choice but withdraw for now. There is still time to slowly savor the feast."

"Wouldn't it be a problem?"

"There is no problem. I'm used to waiting. It is already an impressive feat that we managed to make "Princess" go into inverse form. And today, we also managed to get rid of the greatest of our problems."

Westcott placed a hand on Ellen's shoulder, and at that moment, the air around them was distorted. She had concentrated her territory.

But before they left through one of the holes in the walls, a voice interrupted them.

"Where do you think you're going...? Our fight... isn't over yet..."

Everyone in the room turned their heads to look in the direction the voice was coming from, and three of them gasped as they saw who it belonged to.

There, in what several minutes ago had been the door of the hall, twas a standing figure. He was certainly Itsuka Shidou.

Although his armor had some cracks and blood on it, parts of his red cloack were torn and burned, he definitely seemed fine.

Miku, Westcott, and Ellen looked at the pile of debris where they had assumed he was buried, and saw it as Tohka had left it.

"You... how in the world are you alive after receiving my most powerful attack!"

"I must admit that that was a quite powerful attack. If it weren't for my high magic resistance, that attack would surely have knocked me out. Although, if I compare it to the real "Lance that shines to the End of the World", that was pretty disappointing..."

He blinked a couple of times watching the scene he came across.

"I think I missed something quite important... huh!?"

He was interrupted when Miku threw herself at him to hug him.

"Idiot! Why did you do that!? I really thought you had been killed! And what took you so long to get back!?"

Shidou looked with confusion at the person who hated men, now was hugging him and looking at him with a face of relief and tears of happiness pouring down her cheeks.

"W-well... even though that attack didn't knock me out, it still threw me out of the building, so I had to climb several floors to get back... B-but aren't you supposed to be disgusted when you touch men?"

He tried to change the subject to get out of the awkward situation. Her generous breasts were firmly pressed against his chest, causing his hormones to start to run wild.

Miku blushed and looked away. "If it's you, I don't mind it, Darling..."

"Huh!?"

The conversation between the two was interrupted by Westcott's soft giggle.

"Fufufu... this is surely a big surprise. That you could survive the best attack of my most powerful wizard... You are undoubtedly the most dangerous obstacle on the way to achieve our dream. All right then. I will be waiting for the day we face each other again, Itsuka Shidou."

With that said, the two people who founded DEM industries left the place. The red knight let them go, giving them one last glance with a frown, before focusing his attention on the anomaly in the room.

His golden eyes met "Tohka's" now soft pink eyes .

She was now wearing what was undoubtedly a complete astral dress, but it wasn't the same armor that Shidou saw her wear when the two first met. This armor was much more revealing, and its color pattern was darker. And Shidou didn't need to use structural grasp on the sword she was wielding to know that wasn't Sandalphon.

With a glance, his inner world analyzed and reproduced the sword that emitted a dark aura. Its name was Nahema, and its properties were very similar to those of Sandalphon, only this sword was more powerful.

On the other hand, Sandalphon was a sword that, although it could not be considered holy, was a "neutral" sword, a case similar to Merodach's. However, Nahema was a sword of a dark and evil nature, very similar to demonic swords like Gram.

Comparing it to the angels of the other spirits he had seen, he could say that something in the structure of that sword was different. That wasn't an angel, but something else.

If he took Westcott's words literally, that sword is what he called the Demon King.

But, despite all this, Shidou could notice that his connection with Tohka still existed, so this wasn't the same case as with Kotori a few months ago. That confused him even more.

Shidou gently pulled Miku away from him before asking her. "Miku, do you have any idea what happened to Tohka?"

"Well, she was suddenly enveloped in darkness, and the next moment she was already like this..."

"You..." "Tohka" spoke for the first time since Shidou arrived. Her attention was focused on Shidou, completely ignoring the idol beside him.

"Tohka, what happened to you?"

"Tohka? You mean me?" "Tohka" spoke confused, as if that was not her name. The name he gave her.

Shidou's fears were confirmed. Just as the experience in that sword was like a blank slate, she didn't seem to remember anything.

"No, that doesn't matter. I can see it. You're not like those weaklings. You're a superior existence above humans, like me. So..." "Tohka" stuck the tip of her demonic sword to the ground in front of her and put her hands on the handle. "I acknowlege you as a worthy opponent. I shall spare you until you arm yourself."

After saying that, "Tohka" began to release a huge bloodlust. That was certainly something that the Tohka Shidou knew would never do. She only fought when she had no choice but to fight. She didn't go around picking fights.

"How rude of you, Tohka. Are you sure you don't want to talk instead? You still haven't landed an attack on me during our spars."

The only answer Shidou got from Tohka was she expanding even more her hostility. Her cold eyes glared at him, offering him a quiet invition to prove his claim.

Shidou frowned. If she didn't want to talk, he didn't have much choice. His intercom had been fried after receiving that attack, so asking Fraxinus' crew for advice was ruled out.

And, although Camael's flames healed his wounds, that did not take his fatigue away, nor dit it replenish his magical energy reserves...

"So you won't listen to my words, huh? Miku, back off. Things are going to get ugly."

Miku's eyes widened as she saw Shidou walking towards Tohka. Even if she didn't see any injuries on him right now, she knew it was impossible that he wasn't tired after having fought so many times in one day.

"Wait! You're supposed to have come to save her, not to fight her!"

"She now seems to want to speak through our swords, so I'll have to reason with her that way."

He projected in his hands the twin steel swords he favored. With his energy reserves depleted, he could not afford to project a noble phantasm that could match that demonic sword in power.

In addition, this "Tohka" seemed much more ruthless than her normal self, so the safest option was to fight with the swords he most used during his lifetime.

Seeing that, "Tohka" readied her sword and fell into a defensive stance. Faced with the impending battle, Miku listened to Shidou and walked away from them to not get caught in the fight.

The red knight and the tyrant queen stared at each other for a few moments. Though she seemed eager to fight, she did not jump to attack him the moment he drew his blades. Perhaps this "Tohka" was more cautious, or her body instinctively remembered that the times she did that during their spars, it did not go too well for her.

Seeing that she would not attack, Shidou stepped forward. Predicting Tohka's counterattack and how to counter it, he lunged at her at full speed.

The distance between them was crossed in a heartbeat. The red knight swung Kanshou with all his strength towards her neck.

His attack was parried, but he ignored it and struck with Bakuya. Again, "Tohka" easily warded off his attack.

The tyrant queen immediately began her counterattack. Her demonic sword was wrapped in dark light, and she lunged it to pierce Shidou's throat.

"...!?"

"Tohka" gave a surprise voice. Her attack was smoothly deflected by the two Ying Yang swords, taking advantage of her own strength. But, she immediately attacked again.

The blades cut the air at extreme speeds, and the sparks produced by their clashes flew all over the place.

Miku, who could barely see the fight, could easily distinguish the sword style of each.

It should have been obvious who was going to win. Itsuka Shidou, despite his superhuman strength and speed, was completely surpassed by Tohka in both power and talent.

The tyrant queen smoothly parried the red knight's attacks, demonstrating how superior her cognition-like instincts were. Her movements resembled a dance, while she tried to crush her opponent with attacks overflowing with power.

But, there was a crucial aspect in a fight that she lacked. And that aspect was where the red knight stood out.

King of Fakers' combat experience, gained from fighting on countless battlefields, always against opponents that far overpowered him, made up for his lack of power and talent.

Reading ten steps ahead, ensuring five more seconds of survival with each attack avoided. He avoided more than thirty attacks that should have killed him as he fought back, seeking an opening that would guarantee victory.

It was a race against time. He had to create that opening before "Tohka" finally decided to summon the true name of her demonic sword.

But, he could already see that opening in the next five moves.

"...!"

"Tohka" overswung, falling into one of Shidou's feints. With her attack successfully deflected, she left an opening on the left side of her chest.

The red knight immediately threw a cut with Bakuya toward that opening. "Tohka" saw the attack coming, but, all she could do was rotate her body so that the sword would hit her armor.

The fight was already decided. Although the married swords were far inferior in power to Nahema, they still had the power to pierce throught her astral dress. The attack that would no doubt leave her mortally wounded came...

But instead of the sound of a blade cutting meat, another metallic shock was heard.

"Guh!" "Tohka" grunted in pain for a few moments, and looked down to see why the white sword had not slashed her.

The attack had certainly landed, and as she expected, her armor had not been able to withstand it judging by how it cracked.

The reason the blade did not sink into her flesh was because the sword struck her with its blunt edge.

It was to be expected. In the end, Shidou couldn't bring himself to harm Tohka. After all, he had come to save her.

"Tohka" clenched her teeth irritated, seemingly offended. The enormous power contained in her body expanded, repelling the red knight several feet back.

Shidou took the opportunity to catch his breath. Steam came out of his mouth. His body temperature was very high due to the prolonged use of his magic circuits.

"You..." "Tohka" looked at him with a really angry face. "Why is are holding you back!? Is that all I am to you, Shidou!?"

That last line surprised even "Tohka" herself. He was sure he had not given this "Tohka" his name.

"That name... Why do I know it?"

She made a face full of confusion, before grabbing her head with one hand as if she was having a severe headache.

It seemed that, after crossing swords with Shidou, some memories of the original Tohka had resurfaced. More specifically, the fact that Shidou hit her with the blunt edge of his blade seemed to have made her remember what happened in their first spar session.

At that time, Shidou was striking Tohka gently with the shinai so as not to harm her, and it was she herself who asked him not to hold back and strike her with all his might.

If the feeling of deja vu had made her remember, then there was still something that Shidou could try...

He let Kanshou and Bakuya fade and approached her. "Way to go, Tohka! You're getting better and better! With this, I would call it a day and go for a relaxing bath."

Tohka's whole body trembled upon hearing that. That meant that Shidou's words actually having an effect on her.

It was time to use the most powerful attack Tohka could never resist.

"Once we have bathed, I will prepare your favorite dish! A delicious burger!"

"Seriously!?" "Tohka" turned to look at Shidou with a face full of excitement, and looked like a strand of saliva was hanging from her mouth.

Yes, that was definitely the Tohka he knew. The attack worked as he had expected, but the effect did not last for long.

Seconds later, "Tohka" froze, and her cheeks slowly began to turn red. Shaking her head to try to get rid of her pain and confusion, she looked back at Shidou even more pissed off than before.

"What the hell was that trick!? Are you trying to confuse me, red knight!?"

She did not attack immediately. It seemed that her anger had not completely mitigated her headache. But, her enormous amount of spiritual energy was swirling around her again, making it impossible to approach her.

"Tch, she was back for a moment... If that didn't work, what else can I use..."

"That was really close." The red knight heard a voice beside him. Miku had come out from behind the rubble in which she was hiding and had approached him. "Looks like I'll have to help you out. Gabriel, Rondo!"

Several metal tubes, manifestations of Miku's angel, appeared all around the room. Around four tubes appeared in front of Miku as a microphone, while all the other appeared around "Tohka".

"Miku?" Shidou looked at her confused. He still didn't know why she was so cooperative now and didn't treat him with contempt.

"I want to see it..." Her response came with a soft voice. "I want to see how far your resolution goes. I want to see how you go all the way to save Tohka. Besides..." She turned around to look at him with a soft smile. "You kept your promise. You saved me even though at that moment my voice didn't came out. Even though it was the uselees me without my "voice", and even if that meant taking that attack instead of me."

After her speech, she turned to look back at "Tohka" and took a deep breath.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

The silver tubes conveyed her voice and expanded it. It quickly suppressed the spiritual energy "Tohka" was releasing, and immobilized her completely.

"Huh? What the hell is this?" "Tohka" began to release even more power in an attempt to break free, forcing Miku to shout louder. Shidou did not need to be told. This was the opportunity he needed.

He raised his voice as he slowly approached her. "Come on, Tohka! When we get home we'll play the visual novel you like so much! We have to help Shirou and Saber win the war!"

That definitely sounded very absurd to him, but it had quite an effect on Tohka. But, it didn't have as much effect as the last time.

"Stop trying to fool me!"

He had to think of something that could bring back the Tohka that he knew. Something that she really liked...

However, he did not have time to think. Miku's voice dropped quickly, until what came from her throat was nothing but air.

Miku's eyes widened in despair as she tried to shout without success.

She must have run out of spiritual energy. After having been all day using her "voice" to control thousands of people, it was natural that that would happen.

"How irritating..." "Tohka" was freed from the walls of sound, and pointed out all her hostility towards the idol.

"You are in the way. Disappear from my sight, weakling! Nahema!" The demonic sword fired a beam of dark light at Miku.

She saw death coming at her a second time, unable to do anything. But, the beam was stopped by a beautiful flower of seven petals.

"Rho Aias!"

This time, Shidou was ready, and deployed his most powerful defense in time. Darkness crashed into the shield and dispersed.

"Guh!" Still, the attack destroyed the first layer of the shield, causing damage to Shidou.

It was to be expected. That attack destroyed walls and roofs, knocking down the two floors above them and leaving them in the open.

Shidou let the shield fade and turned to check on Miku's condition. She was intact, which was a relief.

Well, the fact that she was looking at him with a smile on her lips and crying was still confusing to him, but, he didn't have time to focus on that.

He turned to look at "Tohka" again, who looked at him really pissed off.

"If you're gonna keep using your tricks to try to decieve me instead of fighting, then I'll destroy you right now!"

She stepped on the ground with all her might, and the space next to her became distorted. A huge throne appeared there, and she cut it with her demonic sword.

Shidou's eyes widened in horror as he realized what she was doing. The parts of the throne merged with Nahema, causing it to reveal its true form.

"Tohka" pointed the huge sword toward the sky, and particles of darkness began to concentrate on its blade.

Time from Shidou's perspective slowed down. This was what he had wanted to avoid at all costs. There was no sword in his arsenal that could match the power of that sword.

He doubted that Merodach's power would be enough. Projecting Sandalphon would be also useless, as even the original angel is inferior to that sword. And, his own true noble phantasm would not work in this situation either.

The attack was aimed at him, and only at him. The only target that the nameless sword of promised salvation would not save because its only flaw.

Well, there was still a sword in his arsenal that could match and even surpass that sword. The Last phantasm, the holy sword of the planet that saves de world, wielded by Arturia Pendragon.

However, projecting that sword was impossible for him at this time. He could hardly project a copy that would be a shadow of the original, if his magical reserves were not nearly exhausted and he was within the Unlimited Blade Works. Two conditions he couldn't meet right now.

Being a divine construction wrought by the planet itself, his human mind could hardly understand its structure, and the amount of energy required to reproduce it was astronomical.

He was so engrossed in his thoughts, he didn't even notice when Miku hugged him and tried to protect him with her body. A useless gesture, as her body would only be vaporized along with him.

But, before "Tohka" could swing down her ultimate demonic sword, a torrent of cold attacked her.

She clicked her tongue and used her overflowing power to block the attack.

"Tohka-san! What happened to you...!? Why are you attacking Shidou... that's...!"

Both Miku and Shidou turned to see Yoshino on Zadkiel's back attacking Tohka. But, from the way she spoke, it seemed she was no longer under the influence of Miku's "voice".

Perhaps, as Miku ran out of spiritual energy, she was released from Miku's control. Either that, or Mana managed to dispel the charm.

Seeing her, Shidou remembered something he could use. The last option he wanted to avoid using. If his energy reserves weren't enough to project that sword, then he just had to use the huge amount of energy that was stored in his body. The power he sealed from Tohka, Yoshino, Kotori, Kaguya and Yuzuru.

He wanted to avoid using that power because it wasn't his. The body rejects foreign substances that enter it, and with such an amount of power, the chances of his body being destroyed were very high.

But in this situation, he had no choice but to take the risk. And he didn't have much time to think about it. Yoshino could not hold "Tohka" for so long, so he would have to get down to work as soon as possible.

He looked around, searching a pair of orangeheads. If Yoshino was here, he was sure the Yamai sisters would be here too.

He found them hidden quite close to him. "Kaguya, Yuzuru, have you returned to normal?"

The two identical sisters came out from behind some rubble and landed next to Shidou.

"Of course. You don't have to worry anymore, Shidou, because the Yamai are back."

"Apology. Forgive us for being late, Shidou."

"Good." Shidou nodded as he gently separated Miku from him. "I need you to take Miku away from here. I'll take care of Tohka."

"Kuku. All right, leave it to us. But..."

"Doubt. Shidou, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to save Tohka, of course. And for that, I'm going to have to ask you a favor. Will you let me borrow your power?"

The two girls in maid suits smiled confidently and nodded. "Of course. The power of the Yamai is at your command."

"Agree. Please use our power as you wish."

With that said, the twins wrapped Miku in their wind to take her to a safe distance. The idol resisted at first, apparently not wanting to separate from Shidou. But, she gave in when Shidou showed her a confident smile.

With that solved, it was time to start the most powerful projection he had ever made.

"_I am the bone of my sword..._ Trigger off!"

Once he chanted the first line of his aria, he forcibly opened the seal that kept the spiritual power sealed in his body under control, similar to what Kotori did a few months ago, and immediately channeled it through his magic circuits.

"TRACE, ON!"

His circuits were flooded with more than a hundred times more energy than they could channel. He felt his consciousness starting to vanish, as his body melt under the enormous pressure of the energy running through him, and for a moment, he felt part of his brain explode.

"AAAAAARRGHH!"

But, he endured it. Although his body was almost defeated at the beginning of the projection, and barely held together by Camael's power, his spirit refused to give up. He squeezed his hands tightly around the blue hilt that appeared in his hands, and clung to the fragments of his consciousness that had not yet vanished.

In his hands the pinnacle of holy swords began to take shape. Even if the blueprint stored in his inner world was incomplete, he completed it using parts of his own noble phantasm. After all, their concepts were very similar.

A golden light blinded everyone present, causing even "Tohka" and Yoshino to stop at what they were doing.

Then, they saw it. A golden sword that calling beautiful would be like dirtying it, rested in the hands of the red knight. The place remained completely silent as everyone watched the crystallization of humanity's wishes.

Shidou raised the sword of promised victory over his head. Specks of light began to appear all over the place and gather on the blade.

"Tohka!"

The tyrant queen came out of her trance when she was called by the red knight. Her shoulders trembled upon hearing that name.

But, she managed to get a hold of herself. "Tohka" gritted her teeth and prepared to swing her demonic sword. Shidou did the same, and stepped forward in preparation to swing the holy sword.

"NAHEMA-"

"EX-"

"PAVERSCHLEV!"

"CALIBUR!"

The golden light took on the abysmal darkness. The impact shook the world around, and released a light that blinded anyone who looked, as if it were a miniature sun.

The wind pressure generated would have wiped out everything around if not for the fact that they were on top of a twenty-story building. However, Yoshino and the Yamai sisters were repelled.

After a few moments that seemed hours, the clash ended with both figures being engulfed by the white light. The world exploded, almost literally, causing the building they were in to collapse.

The clouds in the sky were separated by a huge pillar made of golden light and darkness in equal parts. All the energy that could have easily destroyed the entire island being redirected to outer space.

The entire battlefield was in a deathly silence. There was nothing left of the central building but a mountain of rubble, and neither the red knight nor the tyrant queen could be seen anywhere.

All four spirits flying over the place, the crew of Fraxinus and Mana, waited with their bated breaths for the two to appear.

Finally, a figure came out of the rubble. It was "Tohka". Her astral dress was torn everywhere, and she had several burns on her body.

She used her demonic sword, which had returned to its normal form, as a crutch to rise, and looked around in search of the red knight.

Not seeing him, she began to laugh. "Fu.. Haha... HAHAHAHAHAHA! Finally! That red knight who was trying to deceive me, I finally defeated him!"

The spirits began to worry as they saw that Shidou was still missing, beginning to fear the worst.

"Shidou-san..." Yoshino uttered his name on the brink of tears.

Miku tried to call his name with the little voice she had, as the Yamai sisters began to panic.

"Don't tell me... th-there's no way Shidou lost, ri-right, Yuzuru?"

"Agitated. Yuzuru thinks the same as Kaguya. But..."

"What's with those faces...? Don't think I'm dead.. so easily..."

The spirits skipped a beat when they heard that familiar voice. "Tohka" stopped laughing, and Mana put on a knowing smile.

Of course, her Nii-chan was not going to die for something like that. After all, he even survived Gil's "sword".

""Shidou!""

Of course, he was far from in good condition when he came out of the rubble. His combat suit was even worse than "Tohka's" astral dress, and his body was full of wounds and bleeding everywhere.

The swords of his inner world manifested themselves to sew the wounds, making him look like a walking mess of swords, and Camael's flames were slowly healing the wounds.

"You... How...?" "Tohka's" voice stuck in her throat as she looked at the red knight.

"Tohka! No matter how many times I have to, I will always come back to save you! Don't forget it!"

She took a step back on reflex when she heard his words. Strange memories re-emerging in her mind.

Shidou considered his options. He doubted that his body would resist much longer, so this would be his last move. But he, after the clash of power, managed to remember what Tohka enjoyed even more than food.

However, in order to do it, he needed to get closer, and "Tohka" would surely try to cut him if he approached her carelessly. He needed to find an opening so he could do what he had in mind.

He barely had the energy for a couple of projections, three if he forced it at the cost of falling unconscious soon after. That was more than enough.

Yin Yang swords appeared again in his hands, and he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

It was time to use his ultimate technique. The culmination of all his work with the married swords, and the true meaning behind them.

"Tohka" feeling her enemy's determination, readied her demonic sword.

_"Spirit and technique, flawless and firm."_

Shidou threw both blades, charging them with all the magic energy he could spare. The two blades drew an arc so they intersect right on her neck.

But, as he expected, his opponent blocked them like nothing. She easily redirected Kanshou and Bakuya that attacked simultaneously from both sides.

She escaped the attack. The married swords were supposed to return to his hands even if they were deflected, but she redirected them behind her.

"Tohka" immediately closed in on her unarmed enemy. Shidou did exactly the same.

"Trace, on."

The projection was completed in time. The second pair of twin swords blocked the incoming attack of the demonic sword.

"The same weapon...!? Useless...! Those swords cannot match me...!"

Her blade was again enveloped in a dense fog of darkness. She prepared to unleash her fatal attack. But before that...

_"Our stength rips mountains."_

A surprise attack came from an unexpected direction.

What...!?"

She used her cognition-like instincts and avoided the Bakuya that flew towards her from behind.

Taking advantage of the perfect opening, Shidou struck using Kanshou. But, she swung her demonic sword, destroying the black sword.

The current Tohka was truly a monster. She avoided a simultaneous attack from two opposing sides without suffering any damage. But...

_"Our swords split the water."_

...if it wasn't like this, he wouldn't have to use this technique!

"Another one...!"

Kanshou attacked her from behind again. Needless to say, it was the Kanshou of the first pair of swords he threw. Kanshou and Bakuya are married swords, so Kanshou will return to him as long as he has Bakuya with him.

"Ku...!" She again avoided the surprise attack with her absurd reflexes. Shidou attacked with Bakuya towards her unguarded chest...

But she managed to block the attack at the last second, destroying the white sword.

Time froze. Both took a few moments to assess each other's condition.

The tyrant queen managed to block Shidou's four almost simultaneous attacks. But she was at her limit. She destroyed the last sword at the cost of leaving herself completely open.

Her enemy was disarmed, leaving the fight in a stalemate. But... she knew that her opponent could rearm himself in a matter of a blink.

The fight was already decided.

_"Our names reach the imperial vila."_

The red knight raised his hands. The third and final pair of swords would be projected at any time, and her body could no longer catch up to her thought. She would definitely receive his final attack.

"Tohka" closed her eyes, accepting her defeat. In the end, the red knight defeated her using an exquisite technique that even she could not avoid.

Yet... for some reason... she felt that her heart hurt so much.

_"The two of us cannot hold the heavens together."_

"TOOOOOOOOOHKAAAAAAA!"

Her eyes opened suddenly upon hearing that name being shouted out like that. Her opponent grabbed her firmly from her shoulders with his bare hands.

This scene... she had seen this somewhere... That name the knight kept repeating echoed in her memory...

She didn't have time to think. Shidou, without a second thought, pressed his lips against hers.

What was wrong with this man? Kissing his opponent in the middle of a fight... instead of giving the final blow when she was completely defenseless...

Her head began to spin. Memories finally began to re-emerge, and she remembered who the red knight was...

Of course, how could she forget the boy who saved her?

What Tohka most enjoyed, even more than food for some reason, was kissing Shidou...

"Shidou...?"

Tohka spoke with her dry throat to the golden-eyed boy who embraced her. Her ruined black armor scattered, returning to her maid dress, and her eyes and hair returned to their normal color.

A soft smile formed on Shidou's lips. "Welcome back... Tohka."

Tohka, as confused as she was by the apocalyptic landscape around her, the pitiful state Shidou was in, the huge amount of pain she felt all over her body, and the presence of other spirits, could not help but smile.

Seeing Shidou smile made all her worries go away. "Umu... I'm back... Shidou..."

* * *

A solitary figure walked through the heap of rubble that had become the battlefield. Her black and crimson dress reflected the sunlight that was beginning to peek across the horizon.

"So she wasn't here..."

The person, or rather the spirit she was looking for, was not in DEM's Japanese branch.

She spent over a thousand of her clones on this one operation, most of them killed by the "collateral damage" caused by the fight between the golden girl and the crazy woman, and risked making a deal with Shidou. And in the end, all turned out to be unsuccesful.

But it was a risk she had to take. The spirit she sought was the second spirit to appear in this world, captured by DEM several years ago. But more importantly, she was the only person in this world who could provide her with information about the original spirit.

Even if she could somehow obtain the power of Itsuka Shidou and use her 12th bullet to travel back in time, it would be of no use if she could not defeat the original spirit.

"Well, I guess I have no choice but to withdraw for now... Besides, we were able to witness the incredible show that Shidou-san put on there, weren't we?"

In response, a lot of giggles from the shadows of the place were heard.

* * *

_Itsuka Shidou-sama,_

_On the third day of the Tenou Festival, at 2:50 pm, please come to the break room behind the main stage._

_There is something I want to talk to you about in private. If you don't come, I will get mad!_

_Sincerely, Miku._

I reread for the tenth time the note that Reine had given me this morning before coming to the Festival, not knowing yet what was the reason for the radical change in the way Miku treated me.

Today was Monday, September 25th, the third day of the Tenou Festival, and a couple of days after the battle against DEM.

I was walking to the main stage, or what was left of it. Yesterday I spent the whole day undergoing medical check-ups and resting since, although the flames of Camael healed all my wounds, I had no energy to lift a finger.

Releasing all that enormous amount of spiritual energy to project the Sword of Promised Victory and summon its true name caused many alarms to go off in Fraxinus, and apparently Kotori almost had a heart attack.

For some miraculous reason, my magic circuits were not irreparably damaged after handling such a huge amount of energy, but I will still have to let them rest for a few weeks. And the power of Camael helps to relieve the numbness, so the waiting will not be so tortuous.

Seriously, Kotori's angel is very convenient. I'm sure without it, those wounds would have left me lying on a bed for more than a month. And also, now that my servant attire is automatically repaired with magical energy, I won't have to negotiate with magus to repair it for me.

Unfortunately, Tohka didn't have the same luck. Although her injuries weren't as severe as mine, she'll still have to rest for a couple of weeks to recover.

On the subject of all the chaos that arose in the city with all the people being brainwashed by Miku, the incident was covered up as a terrorist attack with some kind of hallucinogenic chemical. People who had been brainwashed had no memory of what happened that night, so they had no choice but to believe it. It was a miracle enough that no one had died during the incident.

The damage to DEM's Japanese branch was attributed to a spacequake, and any recording of the confrontation between Kurumi and the Wizards, and the mysterious pillar of light, were concealed. Casualties during the battle were counted in the hundreds, most of them wizards killed by Kurumi, with some of them killed by being caught in the crossfire of the fight between Mana and the redheaded woman, and others who died when the central building collapsed.

Normally, thinking about all those deaths would make me feel bad, but, after what they did to Tohka, I don't feel any pity for them.

I finally got to the main stage, where right now, Miku was giving a concert.

After the incidents on the first day, the events on the second day were cancelled and postponed to tomorrow. Today, on the third day, the festival was exclusive to the students of the ten participating schools.

It was due to the enthusiasm of the students that the Festival wasn't cancelled. In fact, the main stage had been quite damaged, especially the part where the audience sits. That part now had no roof, and the seats had to be replaced by portable chairs.

But that didn't stop the students from enjoying Miku's concert. The idol was wearing her astral dress, and was singing with her captivating "voice".

Although she regained her "voice" shortly after the fight against DEM, she didn't put up any problems when Fraxinus picked all of us up. I fell unconscious shortly after, so I couldn't talk to her. But from what they told me, she was cooperative when they gave her the medical checkups, and she gave them the note to give me.

Well... there was that incident though...

* * *

_Flashback_

"Hey you! You're that lowlife who thinks she's above humanity and said all those rude things to Nii-chan, right?"

After being picked up by Fraxinus, by the time Mana's red eyes recognized Miku, she began to look at her with hostility and yell at her.

The idol, who had not yet regained her voice, yelped and hid behind me. That almost made me fall to the ground, as I could barely stand because the swords that sew my wounds held my legs steady.

"I have to give you an exemplary punishment! I will show you who is the King here-!"

Before Mana started firing noble phantasms, I approached her dragging my feet as I could, and hit her in the head with as little force as I had left.

"Ouch! What was that for, Nii-chan!?"

"Now is not the time to discuss. It's been a really long day, so it's time to go and rest. That also includes you, Mana. Using your powers for so long must be a burden on your body, right?"

The golden girl nodded grudgingly, though she still kept giving idol looks of contempt from time to time.

* * *

_Flashback end_

Perhaps Mana gave Miku a lecture while I was unconscious.

I remember I barely managed to get to Fraxinus' medical wing before I passed out. The last thing I heard were screams full of concern.

Returning to the matter in hand, Miku's concert didn't take long to finish. Naturally, everyone became wild as a result.

"Thank you very much, everyone! Really!" Miku's shoulders wavered as she thanked the audience.

Shortly afterwards, she left the stage with applause. To avoid having to go through all the people, I used the staff-only corridor to get to the break room.

Once in front of the door of that room, I knocked and a response in an enthusiastic tone came from within.

"Yes, go ahead!"

I opened the door and entered without knowing what to expect. In the lroom was Miku alone, sitting in a chair while she was wiping her sweat with a towel, and with an energy drink next to her.

"I came as you asked me-" I could barely finish the sentence before she interrupted me.

"You've come, Darling~!"

As soon as she saw me, she jumped out of the chair and hugged me. Again, she was calling me "Darling" in a tone full of affection, just the opposite of how she referred to me a few days ago.

"Huh!?" My mind had trouble processing this sudden change. It really seemed that she had even changed her personality. "Wh-why the sudden change?"

"Fufufu... I already told you. You're special, Darling. You're my savior." After saying that, she put on a flirtatious smile and pressed her chest against me.

My hormones for a moment got out of control as I tried to digest her words, and I could feel my cheeks warming up.

I didn't want to think about it this way, but, the case of Miku looked like one of the situations presented in that hellish game.

The line between love and hate is said to be very thin, and, after an event or trigger, hate can become love. That was the only explanation I could think of for what was happening here, but it came from an eroge, so that didn't make it very convincing for me though...

I really don't want to think that my current live has any resemblance to an erogame...

"So... what did you want to talk about?" Try to change the subject not to follow that spiral of depressing thoughts...

"Oh, right..."

After saying that like she just remembered something crucial, she stood on tiptoes and kissed me.

"Mmm?" My mind went blank for a few moments because of how sudden it all went. To say I was confused would be a huge understatement.

She hugged me tightly and held the kiss for several seconds, tongue included. It was then that my head began to spin, barely realizing that a bond was formed between us and her spiritual power began to flow into my body.

That only increased my confusion even more.

"Wah..." She finally separated her lips from mine.

I was so distracted that I didn't even think about what happened when I sealed the power of a spirit wearing her astral dress.

"Kya!" Miku's scream brought me back to reality, only to look down and my eyes widened when I saw her naked.

"That was really quick. Wait a bit for me to prepare emotionally, Darling..."

"Th-this is not what you're thinking! Your power was sealed-"

Before I started to explain myself, she interrupted me. "Fufu... I was just kidding. Thanks to Yosino and the others, I know everything."

She must have been referring to the girls telling her about the method to seal the powers of a spirit. She knew what would happen when she kissed me, and yet she did. She gave up her "voice" on her own choice.

"Miku, you..."

"You said it, didn't you? That you would always be there to help me no matter what, even if I no longer have my "voice," right?"

"Of course." My answer came out without even thinking.

Hearing me, she showed me a radiant smile. "If it's you, I know you will keep your promise. That's all I need. Even if I no longer have my "voice" and no one comes to hear me anymore, as long as you're there, that's enough. Like you told me, I'll follow my own path and keep singing to the ened, even if it's just for you."

She hugged me even harder and put her head on my chest. Before I could think of what to answer, the door to the room slammed open, and a girl dressed in Rindouji's uniform walked in.

"Miku-san! The audience is demanding that you sing another song and there is no way we can continue with the next event. So please... sing another song... eh?"

"Ah..."

We both looked at each other, completely paralyzed. The girl's face turned to one full of horror and she turned to run out of the room.

"H-help! Help!"

"Wait!"

It was understandable that she ran out after finding Miku naked next to a strange guy. She probably thought I was trying to rape Miku...

Damn E-rank luck.

My reaction must have seemed funny to Miku, because she started laughing. "Hahaha... you better escape or you'll be caught."

I couldn't help but breathe a deep sigh. "I guess it's time to take my leave."

I turned to leave the room quickly, but was stopped by Miku's voice.

"That girl asked for a song, so I can't refuse... will you come to see me, Darling?"

At that moment, she looked at me with her eyes full of resolution. If she was anxious to sing without her "voice," her determination managed to overcome that fear.

A smile shone across my lips. "Yeah. I'll be waiting for you in the audience."

After a race to leave the scene before the police arrived to arrest me, I blended in the audience and sat in an empty chair in the center.

Shortly after, Miku went on stage, wearing one of the maid uniforms from Raizen Academy.

"Okay, people~ We see each other again. Thanks for asking for another song, but you can't do that. You're going to cause trouble for the staff."

She pretended to be angry, and the audience responded with several "sorry".

"However, I am also very happy~ That's why, today, I'll sing a special song that I feel is the most important to me."

After saying that, a piano melody began to play, and Miku began to sing softly.

I immediately recognized what song it was. There's no doubt why she said it was special to her. It was the song from "Yoimachi Tsukino" I heard when I infiltrated her house. If I remember correctly, it was called "My Treasure".

The audience hesitated for a moment hearing Miku sing without her "voice". The difference was really noticeable.

But, little by little, people began to get euphoric, not too different from the concert a few days ago. Like me, they could also notice that she was putting a lot more emotion into her singing.

The song finally ended, and was followed by a chorus of applause and cheers filled with euphoria.

Upon seeing the audience, tears began to fall from Miku's tears. "Guys... thank you, really..."

The audience felt her emotions and began to encourage and support her. Everyone started shouting her name repeatedly.

"Thank you... Thank you very much... Darling, I love you!"

Hearing that, the place fell into a heavy silence. The people in the room must have been very surprised after hearing that.

As Miku was looking directly at me, people didn't take long to follow her gaze.

I began to sweat, and my eyebrow trembled as I felt as many people were glaring at me. It seems that this was a situations like the one that occurred a few weeks ago...

I have no choice but to run away.

After giving Miku a thumb up, I ran out of the place before people started bombarding me with questions.

"He's running away again! You won't get away this time, Shidou!"

"Support. You have a lot to explain, Shidou."

My blood froze when I saw a couple of identical sisters running behind me, followed closely by most of the people that were in the audience.

Apparently, they had also attended the concert. My body was in no condition to run, but I had no choice but to force it beyond its limits!

"FUKING E-RANK LUCK!"

* * *

**And that's all for now. What do you think? In case you haven't noticed, "Yakusokusareta shouri no tsurugi" means in Japanese "Sword of promised victory". Although, I really doubt anyone fell for that little troll, right?**

**Since King of Fakers is an alternate version of Emiya Shirou, and Inverse Tohka in my opinion in a walking reference to Saber Alter, I decided to make their encounter a reference to one of the endings of Fate's visual novel called "Sparks Liner High". If you don't know what I'm talking about, search it because it's worth it. Especially since it isn't the true ending, it won't be animated in the third Heaven's Feel movie, which is really a shame.**

**One of the reviews predicted that King of Fakers was going to project Excalibur, and they were right. That makes me think maybe I'm a little predictable, but, I tried to make the scene as epic as possible. And while I was at it, I put in a couple of references to the Nine Lives Blade Works scene.**

**Yeah, no one from the main cast died, although Tohka got much more hurt, and King of Fakers almost died a couple of times. I'm not going to talk about deaths because that would involve a lot of spoilers.**

**As for Shidou comparing Westcott to Kotomine Kirei, in my opinion I think the two characters are quite similar, especially since they both enjoy the suffering of others. One wanted his parents to get a pet for him after his last one died, just so he could watch it die again, and the other cried when his wife died because he couldn't kill her with his own hands. There are quite a few resemblances between them, although their goals as villains are different, and well, as I read the light novel in Spanish, I don't know if Westcott also says "Yorokobe Shounen".**

**Given the similarities between the concept of spirit and heroic spirit, Saber and Tohka, Mana and Illya, and Westcott and Kotomine, I don't know if it's just me who sees references references everywhere, but I would say both franchises somewhat similar. Well, after watching Jojo, you tend to see references everywhere, so it can also be that.**

**As for the next update, this time yes, it will be of my other story "Madness Empire of blades". I have abandoned it for a long time without realizing it.**

**Now, on the next chapter, there are two options. Follow the events of the light novel, or include Mayura's film. Actually, I still haven't thought about what to do with Mayura, and I'd have to watch the movie again to remember the events on it, although if I remember correctly, it was mostly fan service. That would certainly make for a pretty good humor chapter if I add Mana and Gilgamesh to the equation.**

**Whether I include the film or not, I'll be including some chapters in OVA format for character development and showing the messy life of King of Fakers and his involuntary harem.**

**Finally, as always, I would like to hear your opinions, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

**Until we meet again!**


	15. Chapter 14: interlude 1

**We meet again, people! Here I bring you the next chapter of this crossover. In the poll I did after my previous update, this story ended up winning, so as promised, here's the first interlude before the next arc. And before you think this is a filler chapter, let me tell you that, while the main theme is indeed humor, there are still serious conversations.**

**Now, speaking of the previous chapters, it made me so happy seeing that you liked them. I warmly appreciate all the support I received in the reviews and PM. Although I aswered the reviews through PM at that time, I was unable to answer guest reviews, so I will do exactly that now.**

**One of the questions I received the most was "When will King of Fakers use the Unlimited Blade Works?" The answer to that question is complicated if you don't want to get spoiled. Though I can tell you, the story is pretty close to getting to that point. The original story of Date a Live has a story arc dedicated to each spirit, one for the final battle, a final arc in which the story is closed, and finally, the most important arc to answer this question, the arc centered on Shidou himself.**

**If you don't mind the spoilers, then let me tell you that I plan on that arc being a turning point for this story. In fact, I'm so eager to write that arc that I've practically already planned the script.**

**Moving on to other questions, regarding the spirits learning more about the past of King of Fakers, I plan to dedicate another interlude chapter to that topic. That also includes the visual novel and the cycle of dreams.**

**I've also been asked about if I was going to write the classic beach episode. I save that chapter for when this Shidou has conquered more spirits. I have a pretty hilarious idea for that chapter. And as for whether I'll include the Date a Live games, if I do, it will likely be in the form of special chapters. I mean, an AI asking the EX-rank density what is love is a joke that stands on its own.**

**Now, as for the recommendation I received to play "Date a Live Spirit Pledge"... well... playing "Fate/ Grand Order" is bad enough for my mental health, so playing another gacha game might get me sent to an asylum. I mean, I threw 120 SQ at Sitonai and what I got instead was an Altera! RATE UP IS A LIE! I WANTED MY KAWAI ILLYA-FACE!**

**Ehem, well, I think that's enough of me talking. Let the chapter begin!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, the Fate franchise or Date a live.**

* * *

Itsuka Kotori pursed her lips as she looked at the images displayed on the screen in front of her commander's seat.

Although she was putting on a fairly convincing neutral mask, all the crew members knew that behind that mask, she was quite uneasy. However, they all agreed not to say anything about it as they knew the reason behind her concern.

After all, they too had witnessed it.

The image the commander of the Fraxinus was looking at was one they had captured a few days ago, during the Tohka rescue incident. In particular, the image showed Itsuka Shidou, Kotori's brother, wrapped in a dense white aura formed of pure spiritual energy, and holding in his hands the hilt of a golden sword whose beauty was indescribable.

Although all had gone well in the end, and everyone had returned home safe and sound, Kotori could not help feeling agitated.

Her gaze rested on her hand, more specifically, on the little device she was holding in it. The object looked like a remote control with a single red button, like the ones used to detonate remote explosives.

However, as insignificant as the device might seem, it actually had great meaning for Kotori. It was a reminder. A reminder that, despite everything having returned to normal, the "worst ending" could still happen.

If the button of that remote was pressed, the satellite called Dainsleif that Ratatoskr had monitoring Itsuka Shidou twenty-four hours a day, would fire at him the most powerful mana cannon they had created. That was the backup plan they had in the remote event that the sealed spiritual power in Shidou's body got out of control, and he became a threat to humanity.

As his younger sister, Kotori volunteered to be the one to carry the burden of killing Shidou. Therefore, she was the only one who had been entrusted with that a remote control.

It was a possibility that until now Kotori believed practically impossible. But the images in front of her showed that actually, the odds were not so small.

She remembered that moment as if it were yesterday. The moment when a certain alarm sounded on the Fraxinus bridge. An alarm that would only ring at the moment when Shidou's reading of spiritual waves would surpass that of various spirits together.

Kotori nearly pressed the button at that time. If it weren't for the fact that she started hyperventilating and almost had a heart attack just because of the thought she was about to kill her beloved Onii-chan, she would have pressed the button. In fact, her finger was resting on it while Shidou was performing that flawless technique to leave "Tohka" wide open and kiss her.

The relief she felt at seeing that he was still the same as always when he woke up the next day was immeasurable.

There was also that sword he projected. That must have been a noble phantasm, as it wasn't in their database of angels. However, the reading they got of the power he fired was huge, overshadowing even Tohka's ultimate sword, which was the most powerful angel on record.

If Shidou had fired his attack directly at Tohka at that time, she had no doubt that he would certainly have killed her. However, he aimed the huge beam of light upward, also redirecting Tohka's attack.

When the girls asked him what was that sword he had used, he simply said that it was the most powerful weapon in his arsenal, the pinnacle of holy swords, and that it had hardly been a shadow of what was the original.

From there the conversation passed to how many swords Shidou had at his disposal, and he replied that he lost count long after one hundred thousand. Kotori would like to think that her brother was joking on a rare occasion, but, after dreaming several times about that hill of swords, she no longer knew what to think...

Returning to the subject in question, Kotori still thought it was a miracle that her brother came out of that incident without much repercussions. Yeah, he couldn't move for a day, and he had parts of his body numb for the last week, but according to Reine's checkups, there was no permanent damage to his body.

According to the Analysis Officer, he momentarily broke the seal keeping the spiritual power in his body under control and used the overflowing energy to project the sword and pull off that attack.

The only "permanent damage" if you can call it that, that Shidou suffered was more strands of his hair turning white, and some patches of skin on his arms getting burned, adopting a tan color.

That made Shidou even more like that nameless hero who died on top of the hill of swords, further increasing Kotori's anxiety.

She knew the only way to get the answers she wanted was to ask Shidou directly. He was a bad liar, and although he did not admit it, he had a weakness for his younger sister, so Kotori had confidence that he would eventually answer her questions.

However... did she really have the right to do so?

She still kept things from him, the remote in her hand was an example of it. Besides, knowing her brother, the most certain thing was that, if he didn't want to speak about it, then surely it was for their own good... right?

The thing is... she didn't know what to think anymore. One part of her wanted to trust her Onii-chan and respect his privacy, while the other wanted to get the answer to those questions to ease her concern.

At the moment, there was only one thing she could do while she was still deciding her course of action.

Kotori put the remote in one of the pockets of her red jacket, and pulled out a pen drive from another pocket.

A little before the incident with Miku and Tohka's abduction, the spirits began to insistently ask her and Reine to buy them a PC for the apartment for the spirits.

When she discovered the reason behind that, she couldn't help but blink several times like an owl.

Apparently, the girls had become addicted to playing that mysterious visual novel that Shidou brought home the day he met Miku. According to them, the story of the novel was somehow related to Shidou, so perhaps she could find the answers she needed by reading this novel.

Of course, she'd have to find free time to do it. If the commander were to play an eroge during working hours, what kind of example would she be setting for her crew?

Little did Kotori know at that time that she would end up as addicted to that visual novel as the other spirits.

* * *

"_Onore! Onore, onoreonoreonoreonore! I did not think I would have to use my sword against a lowlfie like you... !"_

_Gilgamesh raises his hand. The sword appearing behind him is the demonic sword, the only sword that does not exist in this world!_

"_I won't let you...!"_

"_Gah-!?"_

_I swing my twin swords. The Kanshou and Bakuya I reel in slice off Gilgamesh's arm that tries to reach for his sword!_

"_Wha...!"_

_The weapons stop. His arm and sword fall to the ground, leaving him defenseless._

"_Haaaah!"_

_My body acts before I can think. Confident in my victori, my limbs move to slash the King of Heroes!_

"_...!"_

_He jumps back. Barely avoiding my twin swords, Gilgamesh retreats still further._

"_Kuh...! I shall grant you this! You are stronger than me here...!"_

_Gilgamesh admits his defeat and tries to retreat._

At that moment, a smile came across Shidou's face.

Anyone who knew the golden-eyed boy would be left with their jaws dropped at the sight of such an image,

Certainly, seeing Shidou smile wasn't something that can be seen many times, though lately he did it more often.

The reason was quite simple. He was a broken person. A part of him died in that fire in which it could be said he had been born in his former life.

That left a void in him. A void that he later learned to fill in a single way. Helping others.

Dedicating his life to making others happy was the only thing he found that could fill that void, and therefore the only way to find happiness.

However, that was not why Shidou was smiling at the moment. In fact, the smile on his face was not one of happiness. It was a wicked smile that would give goose bumps to anyone that saw it.

Part of the reason behind this was the scene of the visual novel that was shown on the computer screen in front of him, and that he was reading aloud.

Seeing how the arrogant King of Heroes was humiliated by Emiya Shirou gave Shidou a sense of pleasure that he had never experienced. Maybe his sister was really influencing him.

The thing is that in this iteration of the Holy Grail War, Emiya Shirou was the one who went to fight the King of Heroes. The golden servant, unlike in his fight against the King of Fakers, held back further, refusing to even recognize Shirou as an opponent.

That led to a humiliating defeat, where he was defeated without even being able to use his most powerful weapon. And the funny thing about it was, this wasn't the biggest humiliation that Gilgamesh suffered in the visual novel. His death on another route was even worse.

His death at the hands of Saber on the first route was somewhat excusable. Avalon is just op.

However, his death at the hands of Matou Sakura on the third route was inexcusable. Making sure that your opponent is really dead is just logical. But more than that, if he knew what he was facing, why the hell did he just fire noble phantasms at her instead of using them? He didn't even need to kill her. He just needed to severe her conection with the demon inside the Grail! And he has plenty of tools to make that inside his treasury.

That wasn't being too proud anymore. That was being a damn lazy-ass.

Not that Shidou wished that Gilgamesh would have killed the poor girl. Quite the opposite.

But, the main reason Shidou was smiling like that was the person sitting on his bed, reading the novel with him.

He turned to look at the golden girl's red eyes, and spoke to her while barely containing the laughter. "And it's for things like this that I say that pride and chivalry have no place in a real battle Mana. If you have the power to crush your opponent, do so without hesitation."

Judging by the way "Mana" was glaring at him, Shidou knew that Gilgamesh was on the driving seat right now. His biological sister had been laughing nonstop until a couple of minutes ago.

If the King of Heroes had been in his body, his gaze would surely have made even some heroic spirits shit their pants.

However, being in the body of a 13-year-old girl, what should have been a murderous glare turned into an irresistibly cute pout.

"Pft!" Shidou couldn't repress it anymore and burst out laughing. "Fuahahahahahhahahaha!"

From so much laughter he had to grab his stomach, and almost fell from the chair.

"Mana" clenched 'his' fists, 'his' body trembling with barely repressed anger. "Damn you Faker! You made me come here just to laugh at me! I'll exterminate you right now!" Then 'his' eyes lowered to look at 'his' chest, as if 'he' was trying to look at 'himself'. "And you stop laughing too! Just because you are my retainer does not mean you can laugh at your king!"

Just because of this, Shidou could say that, despite his initial doubts, he was grateful to the Old Man of the jewels for giving him this visual novel.

"Aah..." He sighed as he sat back in the chair and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life."

"Mana" snarled, gesturing to close the Gate of Babylon in a rare gesture of self-control.

"I expect you to have another reason to show me this, Faker. And it better be good."

Shidou's expression became completely serious. "Of course. Aside from spending time with my biological sister and giving her some tips, I wanted to show you the gift that the Kaleidoscope gave us. By the way, he told me to give you his regards."

Gilgamesh grimaced. "I should have known better. Of course this is the work of that old bloodsucker. Well? Did he say anything else?"

"Aside from giving some pretty far-fetched clues as to how we ended up here, he didn't say much else. According to him it had something to do with the demon inside the the Holy Grail."

"That malformation... Anyway, you're aware that with that, our secret's days are numbered, right?"

"Yeah. Though I doubt you of all people care about that in the slightless."

An arrogant smile formed on "Mana's" lips. "Hmph. Why should the King hide his greatness from the mongrels? The only reason I decide to play along your facade is because of my retainer. In the last battle against those lowlifes I made sure to give them a taste of my power."

Shidou merely looked at him with a blank expression, until suddenly the wicked smile formed again on his lips.

With quick moves, he loaded another stored file, right in the scene where the shadow of the Holy Grail devoured Gilgamesh.

"Mana" frowned with annoyance at the scene, and ended up doing another pout. "That's not me, damn it! That "me" is too stupid to really be me!"

Shidou chuckled again before returning to his serious attitude. "Returning to our business, this, added to the dreams they have about my past, I really doubt that girls will take long to start asking questions."

"And why don't you just tell them, Faker? I do not think it is that hard. Plus, you have this visual novel to support you as you explain things to them."

In that regard, Zelretch wasn't actually lying when he said that this "gift" was going to help him. At least it would save him a lot of explaining. Still...

"I'm not so sure about that..."

Red eyes looked deep into golden eyes. This was the first time the King of Heroes saw the man in front of him so doubtful.

"I see. You're afraid things changing if you reveal your true identite, huh? I never thought I'd see someone as simple-minded as your have those kinds of thoughts."

Shidou was sure he should feel insulted, but ignored it and focused on the first thing goldie said.

Actually, Shidou himself didn't know why he was so reluctant to reveal his identiti to his sister and the spirits. He thought it was his old habits pulling him, but what Gilgamesh said made a lot more sense.

Unconsciously, he had gotten used to his current way of life with Kotori and the girls. Part of him appreciated these moments, and was afraid that if he revealed his true identity to them, nothing would ever be the same.

Before Shidou said anything, Gilgamesh continued. "Well, I'm not your psychologist, so you're going to have to find it out by yourself. Besides, watching you suffer with your love life and your harem is unexpectedly a good form of entertainment."

Upon hearing a certain word, Shidou's right eyebrow began to tremble. "It's not a harem, damn it! I don't see them that way!"

"Hoh? And what are they to you then?"

Shidou opened his mouth to reply, but a few seconds later he closed it without saying anything. The truth was, he didn't have an answer to that question

After spending so much time with Tohka and the others, it was obvious that they were more than acquaintances.

With such an intimate relationship, and after going on dates with them, anyone would think they were his girlfriends. But for some reason, thinking of them that way didn't sit well with him.

However, from a logical point of view, they could not be just friends either. Their relationship was too intimate after all the things that they've been throught together.

Seeing that the golden-eyed boy was starting to overthinking too much with that question, the King of Heroes sighed somewhat disappointed and decided to change the subject.

"Well, think about the answer to that question some other time. You have another much more pressing matter, Faker."

That pulled Shidou out of his spiral of thoughts, and he looked at "Mana" with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"You know this whole sealing the powers of the spirits thing is not going to last forever, right? You will reach a point in which your body will not be able to handle all the energy and will be consumed."

"I also thought that at the beginning. However, after using all that spiritual energy to project the Arturia's sword, I discovered something that invalidates that theory."

Gilgamesh's eyes shone with curiosity, and Shidou proceeded to explain his findings.

"After analyzing my body thoroughly several times, I came to a conclusion. This body is made to store spiritual power. Therefore, as long as the seal doesn't break, there is no risk that the energy will consume my body. And apparently, my magic circuits can channel that energy without risk of damage. Or at least, that's the only explanation I can find for the fact that my circuits haven't been irreparably damaged after handling so much energy."

"Interesting..." Gilgamesh stroked 'his' chin. "Do you have an explanation for that?"

"Well... I have a theory. My human body in my previous life certainly didn't have these capabilities. So..." Shidou put his hand on his chest. Just thinking about it made him want to throw. "I can only assume that this body was originally not mine, but belonged to the real biological brother of Mana."

"Mana" listened undisturbed as 'she' gestured to Shidou to continue.

"My theory is that, at first, my situation was the same as yours. My soul was forced into this body, turning Mana's brother into a Demi-servant. But, something went very wrong during the period of time that I have no memory of, and somehow, his soul left this body. Then, my soul took control of the body, and the genes of my soul modified it, changing it so it looks exactly like my previous body. Although there are still some gaps to fill, such as why Mana's brother had these powers, I think that's quite close to what happened."

"Hmm..." Gilgamesh folded 'his' arms and closed 'his' eyes for a few seconds. "That's a good theory indeed. I'd say you're on the right track, Faker. Now, how are you going to fill those gaps?"

"So far, I know two persons who might know about this." Shidou lifted a finger as he spoke. "One of them is Isaac Westcott. That guy called me Shinji Takamiya the first time we met, and he seemed to know about the affair. If I had to guess, I'd say that was the name of Mana's real brother."

After saying that, he lifted another finger. "The other person, or would be better called entity, would be "Phantom". The being who turned Kotori and Miku into spirits. That being seemed to know me quite well even though it was the first time I met it, and even knew of this power to seal the power of spirits. And, although finding that entity seems to be even more difficult than the original Kurumi, I think it's actually closer than it looks."

The interest of the King of Heroes increased even more. "And where do you think that thing is?"

"Well, to begin with, I always found it very odd that the Ratatoskr organization somehow managed to figure out Kotori's condition as a spirit. Her powers were sealed after the fire in the residential district, so she should have been a normal human for any radar. That means someone must have seen her in her astral dress during the fire."

By this point, Shidou was already doing the pose Rin always does when she was explaining things.

"A camera capturing us is out of the question. If there were any in the place, I doubt it would not have been incinerated. And, although my memories of the incident are still somewhat blurred, I'm sure there was no one else around. That makes the only people who knew that Kotori, me, and "Phantom". So, that leads me to the conclusion that it had to be that entity who sold the information to Ratatoskr. There's a possibility that it is even infiltrated into the organization. That would explain why that entity puts so much effort into hiding its identity."

After Shidou finished his long explanation, the room was filled with a tense silence.

Finally, the silence was interrupted by the sound of "Mana" standing up.

"Well, I'm nothing but an observer, so that's your problem, Faker. Let me know if you want to settle scores with that lowlife's company. If it's anything else, you'll have to ask my retainer for help."

With that said, the King of Heroes walked out of the room. But when 'he' was walking through the door, 'he' stopped.

"And one last thing, Nii-chan." But the change in the manner she was referring to him, Shidou knew that Mana had taken the driver's seat again. She turned to look at him with a tender smile, something rather unusual coming from the golden girl. "I don't care if that body belongeg to my original brother's and maybe you took his place. Nii-chan will always be Nii-chan to me."

That simple gesture lifted a heavy weight from Shidou's shoulders. He didn't really know how Mana would react to his theory, but seeing that smile made him feel a comforting warmth.

A smile, this time genuine, came across the lips of the boy with golden eyes. "Thank you, Mana."

Having been left alone in the room, Shidou closed the visual novel and turned off the computer. Although he had already completed the game 100 percent after an intensive week of reading practically nonstop, the girls were just starting the second route.

That's why he thought he still had time until the cat comes out of the bag.

The story had three main routes, one for each of the three heroines. It was not until one completed all three routes and got all the endings, both good and bad, that an epilogue of the first route was unlocked with Shirou and Saber reuniting in Avalon, and also, a fourth route.

That fourth route was the iteration of the Fifth Holy Grail War that he, the nameless hero King of Fakers, summoned as the servant Archer instead of EMIYA, the servant Archer summoned by Rin on the other three routes, and this Gilgamesh had lived.

One would think that the spirits would be more advanced in the story than Shidou. However, with Kotori and Reine insisting that he take these days to rest, he had plenty of free time.

Returning to the present, Shidou looked at the digital clock in his room, and realized why Mana had left. It was almost lunchtime.

Shidou descended at a light pace into the kitchen. He had lost track of time during his private conversation with Gilgamesh, and had to get ready to make food as soon as possible.

The spirits don't know how to cook, so he was the one who had to cook.

* * *

"..."

Shidou blinked several times, still trying to process the situation he had stumbled into as he went down to the kitchen.

By the time he had set foot in the living room, a group of hands had grabbed him and dragged him to the kitchen table where they used to eat.

But with the number of diners increasing, the table was getting smaller though. At least, since Miku already had a house of her own, she wasn't moved to the apartment for spirits, and therefore did not attend to the group meals as often.

Shidou had been forced to sit in front of a rather... "peculiar" dish, for lack of a better term.

It was a fairly large bowl, filled with some kind of pasty and bubbly liquid, of a color between blue and purple. And to add to the already disturbing view, several pieces of food protruded from the broth. Among them was a chicken thigh, a kinako bread, and an ice cream cone.

_"What kind of aberration is this?"_ That was the first thing that passed through Shidou's head when he saw such a concoction.

He had never been fussy about food. In his previous life, he had not been in the best financial situation, so he was used to eating what he could.

In this second life, he had learned to cook so that he and Kotori would not have to survive on instant noodles and precooked food.

However, this was not about the broth looking horrible. It really looked like someone was trying to poison him.

His golden eyes left the "accident" in front of him, and they landed on the five girls in front of him.

"Come on, hurry up and taste it, Shidou!"

"You don't have to hold back! Eat, eat!"

Seeing Tohka, Yoshino, and the Yamai sisters smiling and encouraging him to have a taste of the... thing in front of him, only made the situation worse. Even Miku had taken a day off to be present.

"What exactly is this...?"

"Dummy. It's a stew." Kaguya answered his question full of confidence, as if that thing really was an normal stew.

"Explanation. Since Shidou is always cooking for us, we all agreed that today we would be the ones cooking for you."

"As we didn't know what to do... everyone tossed in the food they loved best..."

"We did it with all our love for you, Darling~"

That explained why there were all those things sticking out of that kind of broth, but it didn't explain the broth itself.

Seriously, what the hell had they done to make it look like that? The only thing that could be spared from that thing was that it didn't smell. If it smelled, the neighbors would likely be complaining by now.

"And whose idea was that?"

"Actually, although she did not help in the making of the dish, it was Mana who proposed this."

Shidou followed Tohka's gaze, and his eyes set on a certain golden girl watching him as she leaned her back against the door frame. Her eyes were covered by sunglasses, and her face had an even more wicked smile than Shidou's a few minutes earlier.

'She' moved 'her' lips without making a sound, but Shidou didn't needed to hear 'her' to get the message.

_"You are a thousand years early to make a fool of me, Faker!"_

At that moment, the golden-eyed boy regretted not having rubbed the King of Heroes in the face his painful deaths even more. This was war!

"I-isn't it wonderful, Shidou? They taking the trouble to make you something so delicious..."

Kotori at his side spoke uneasyly. It was clear that even she didn't believe what she was saying.

When Shidou turned to look at her, she was looking at him with a expression reserved for when you attend a funeral.

"Come on, you too, Kotori. Toss something you like!"

To Shidou's growing horror, Kotori did exactly what she was told. She took a lolipop out of her pocket and threw it in the broth.

The lolipop slowly sank into the ominous blue paste, giving the sensation that it was melting as if it were an acid.

Shidou looked at his younger sister with a betrayed expression. _"Whose side are you on!?"_

He knew that beneath her solemn expression was hiding a sadistic smile. She hadn't even taken off the lolipop wrapper! Why did her S side have to come out at a time like this!?

His golden eyes looked back at the spirits. They kept looking at him intensely, with their eyes shining and expectant expressions.

He looked away moments later. Although he seemed to be avoiding their looks, what he was actually doing was contemplating his options.

The kitchen window was less than five meters from him. With his legs reinforced, crossing that distance would take an instant, even less if he used a mana burst. By the time they realized, he'd be a few blocks away, running across town.

Of course, that would only postpone the problem. They would surely chase him around the city like the last time. And when he inevitably had to return to home, they would surely be **VERY** angry.

Now, it comes to what way did Shidou want to die? Poisoned, or facing the fury of several women?

Suddenly the "stew" became much more appetizing in his eyes. If dealing with women was already something he was bad at, dealing with angry women was simply a horror he didn't want for anyone, not even Gilgamesh.

Also, seeing the enthusiasm they had put into this, despite the disastrous outcome, and their smiles... he simply could not betray them.

They say love is the best ingredient in the kitchen, right? Maybe this thing miraculously tastes good...

With all that in mind, he made his final decision. He took his spoon, dipped it in the ominous broth, and brought it in front of his mouth. He was going to grab the tiger by the balls!

Shidou swallowed saliva before putting that thing in his mouth... or at least tried. His mouth and throat had dried out.

Finally, the spoon entered his mouth, and at that moment, the golden-eyed boy's body froze.

The room remained in a tense silence, with all the spectators at the edge of the seat, metaphorically speaking.

After what seemed like several minutes without anyone moving a muscle, Tohka decided to break the silence.

"Well? How's our stew, Shidou-?"

Tohka's words triggered a reaction in Shidou's frozen body. He, without saying a word, began to take spoon after spoon of the "stew" to his mouth at a frantic pace. Anyone who looked at him would think he hadn't eaten in weeks.

In a matter of seconds, the "stew", which had surely been prepared to satisfy the hunger of several people, was completely devoured. Only the chicken thigh bone and lolipop stick were left in the bowl, and not a drop of that ominous broth could be seen anywhere.

For a moment, the thought that Tohka and Shidou had somehow switched bodies passed through everyone's mind.

Shidou left his spoon on the table again, and remained silent with his gaze lost. He seemed to be in some kind of trance.

"Shidou-san...?

Yoshino's worried voice seemed to make the boy react. He looked at them and showed them a smile.

"Mmm, it was really delicious guys..."

Hearing his words, the expressions of all were illuminated with joy. The Yamai sisters hugged between themselves, Miku hugged Yoshino, pressing her face against her generous bust, and Tohka began to jump with joy.

"Yay! We did it!"

However, amid all that cheerful atmosphere, Kotori continued to look at Shidou with concern.

That act might have fooled the spirits, but she had lived with Shidou for many years. It didn't take her long to realize something was off.

Shidou's smile was very tense, with the edges of his lips shaking. His right eyebrow was also trembling, and drops of sweat began to slip down his forehead.

"Onii-chan... are you really okay?"

Shidou put his hand on his sister's shoulder and instructed her to put her ear near him. Once her ear was inches from his lips, he whispered to her with a thread of voice.

"Kotori... when the ambulance comes... tell them I did it for the greater good- ugh!"

As soon as he finnished his line, Shidou gagged, and his hand quickly flew to his mouth to prevent the contents of his stomach from shooting out.

The spirits noticed this, but before anyone could ask anything, Shidou abruptly rose from the chair and ran out of the room.

Then they heard a door slammed shut, likely the bathroom's, and the unpleasant sounds caused by Shidou when he poured the "stew" into the toilet bowl.

""Shidou!"" Everyone, including Mana, shouted his name full of concern and quickly went to the bathroom.

That day, Shidou, no, King of Fakers died fulfilling his duty as an agent of the Counter-Force, and took with him a terrible threat against humanity.

* * *

The scene in Shidou's room was no different than what you would find in a clinic for palliative cares.

All the spirits plus Mana were around the bed, with expressions full of worry and restlessness on their faces. On that bed lay an unconscious Shidou, his face completely pale, and Reine sat beside him doing a quick check-up.

Although it wasn't the first time they had seen Shidou in such a state, just a week before they had seen him faint full of wounds, they could not stop their heart from hurting when they saw the boy in that state. Even more so since this was their fault.

After several painfully long minutes, Reine finally removed the device she was using to measure Shidou's blood pressure, ending the check-up.

The girls noticed this, and immediately gathered around the analysis officer.

"How's Shidou, Reine!? He's not going to die, right!? Right!?" Tohka grabbed Reine's shoulders and started shaking her. Being the one who had seen Shidou about to die many times, she was the most hysterical.

"Tohka, calm down. If you keep shaking her, she won't be able to talk." Kotori tried to calm her down, although she wasn't much better.

Once Tohka released Reine, she began her explanation. "No, Shin is not going to die. This is simply an extreme case of indigestion."

"What does that mean?"

"Because he ate that... thing so quickly, his stomach couldn't handle it. I'm not sure why he fainted, most likely because of the taste of that... thing you gave him, but I don't think it would take him more than a few hours to wake up. It will be a few days before he can eat anything other than a soft diet without risk of vomiting, but other than that and some dizziness there should be no problem... Although I must ask... what was that blue thing supposed to be?"

Despite the relief of hearing the good news, all the spirits blushed with shame and looked away.

Kotori then looked at Mana, who was with her back resting on the wall on the other side of the room.

"Hey Mana, they said the idea behind all this was yours, didn't they?"

Mana hummed at that. "Though I already knew that leaving these girls alone in the kitchen was an accident waiting to happen, my original intention was to play a simple prank on Nii-chan."

The golden girl was struggling to keep her expression neutral. Originally it was the work of Gilgamesh, but not even he could predict this. Though that didn't stop him from laughing his ass off.

"I thought they were just going to feed him something that tasted bad, and he was going to eat it so they wouldn't be sad. What I never thought was they literally poisoning him."

"But... Mana-san... you told us to put what we loved best..."

Mana blinked as she heard the comment, and immediately caressed her face with her hand.

"I said, 'cook what you love best'. Seriously, did you take my words literally and just toss in the blender whatever you liked? You know what, don't answer that question. It's a miracle you didn't blow anything up."

"B-but we did it with all our love..."

Mana mercilessly took down Miku's weak response. "No matter how much love you put into it, poison will remain being poison."

It was then that Kotori realized an important fact. "By the way, what are you doing here, Mana? Shouldn't you be following up on your treatment at Fraxinus?"

"Hmph. Can't I visit Nii-chan after being held in that ship of yours for a whole month?"

The redhead retreated a bit to that response. Although it was for the sake of healing the huge damage done to her body due to DEM experiments, leaving her locked up for long periods of time was no good either.

If she got angry, Kotori was inclined to think that the golden girl would be far more dangerous than a spirit.

Faced with the silence of Fraxinus' commander, Mana stroked her chin, and a cheeky smile formed on her lips.

"Oh, I see~ you wanted to monopolize Nii-chan for you alone, didn't you? It's good that you finally took the offensive, Kotori-san. Though, I see that, even with your combined efforts, you haven't yet made much progress in getting through Nii-chan's block head..."

Upon hearing that, Kotori's cheeks turned red like a tomato. "W-what are you talking about? O-of course I don't have any intention like that! I just cared about you! You have a bounty on your head, so you can't go around so casually!"

"Heh..." In response, the smile on the golden girl's face became bloodthirsty. "I invite them to come at me if they have what it takes."

Those words sent a chill to all the other people present, except for Reine. While Miku had only been lectured by the golden girl, the other five had witnessed her power, three of them firsthand.

Even the memories that Kaguya, Yuzuru and Yoshino kept of the time they were under the influence of Miku's "voice" were blurred, they could still remember how Mana could easily fight all three at once, restraining herself from doing them too much harm, and exterminating any clone of Kurumi that entered her range of vision.

Shidou didn't exaggerate when he told them that she was not a person you want to get on her bad side.

It was Reine's sleepy voice that disrupted the room's tense atmosphere.

"Well... if no one else has a problem, it's time for me to go back to Fraxinus..." Her blue eyes met the red eyes of the golden girl. "Will you come with me, Mana?"

Mana stared at the Analysis Officer for a few seconds, her expression a neutral mask, until she answered with a shrug.

"With Nii-chan in this state, I guess I don't have much left to do here."

Putting her hands in her pockets, Mana left the room, not without waving her hand to say goodbye to the "harem" of her Nii-chan. Reine went to follow her, but Tohka's voice stopped her just before crossing the gate.

"Wait! Reine-san, is there nothing we can do to help Shidou?"

The other spirits nodded with determination, supporting Tohka. However, Reine's response caused them to deflate.

"A good rest it should be enough... and seeing as how it turned out your attempt to cook something... the only one besides Shidou himself who can prepare easy-to-digest food is Kotori... If you want some advice... I'd tell you to ask Shidou to teach you how to cook when he's better..."

Leaving the girls with disappointed looks, the Analysis Officer left the room.

Then the spirits looked at each other with visible restlessness. At the unspoken question, Kotori could not help but sigh.

Letting the spirits get stressed out wasn't something they could afford, but in these circumstances, there really wasn't much they could do.

Kotori could sympathize with them. Seeing a person you love in that state is painful. Even worse if it was their fault that Shidou ended up like this.

"Ahem..." Fraxinus' commander coughed to get everyone's attention. "For the time being, you are free to do as you please, as long as you don't disturb Shidou's rest. You can go back to your apartment, play video games, watch TV... I will let you know immediately when Shidou wakes up."

Her speech did little to calm the restless girls. "But, to play while Darling is like this..."

However, Kotori already had an argument prepared in advance for that answer. "No matter how much you stay here to observe him, Shidou won't get better sooner. Besides, I doubt he'd want you to stay here mourning him instead of going to do something fun."

That made them start thinking better about staying here.

Appealing to the psychological distortion of her Onii-chan felt pretty bad, but it was better than letting the powers of the spirits get out of control without him to calm them.

In a situation like this, Shidou's attempts to make the girls less dependent on him began to make more sense.

Unexpectedly, Kotori got the push she needed to convince them by the youngest of the spirits, at least in appearance.

"Right...! Miku-san... we haven't shown you the visual novel yet..."

The idol took a few seconds to understand what Yoshino meant, and when she did, her eyes shone.

"Oh! You mean that visual novel you told me about that Darling and Mana-chan participated in?"

"Yeah! Now that we're all together, it's a good time to do another reading session, don't ya think?"

"Well, while Shidou returns from the Land of Shadows, we can continue our journey through the Holy Grail War..."

"Agreed. Kotori is right. Shidou would rather we go have fun than stay here worrying."

Although Tohka was the most reluctant to move away from Shidou, in the end the five went to the spirit apartment, leaving Kotori alone with Shidou.

Letting out the air she was holding without realizing it, Kotori relaxed and sat on the side of Shidou's bed. Her eyes then turned to the face of her sleeping brother.

What she saw was unusual. It's not like she went every night to see her brother's face in his sleep, but the few times she'd seen him, she always noticed he was like... restless?

Anyone would say he wasn't dreaming of something nice, but she didn't know if it would be right to say he was having nightmares either.

Therefore, seeing his current face totally peaceful while resting was something new for her. Her hand gently caressed his cheek, and her fingers passed through the auburn and white locks that fell over his forehead, as a gentle smile formed on her lips.

Seeing him like this, it seemed like he was resting properly for the first time. That reminded her of the time when she was unaware of her brother being a magus, or didn't remember it.

Those times when she only cared about his brother not overworking himself to help others, and trying to get her feelings through to him. Although she knew that with her position as his little sister, even though they weren't related by blood, it was almost impossible, she hoped that perhaps, one day Shidou would see her as a woman and not as his sister..

Although, before that, she had to penetrate that huge wall of density that Shidou had around him.

Thinking about it reminded her of one of Mana's comments a few minutes ago, and her smile was replaced by a frown.

Although it was true that Shidou was beginning to open up more and show more emotions lately, he still avoided the feelings of the spirits.

It was true that they were rather clumsy expressing their affection for him, and Tohka was probably just as dense as he was. But, Izayoi Miku, the last spirit that Shidou had sealed until now, was quite the opposite.

She called him Darling, and every second she spent with him, she showered him with affection. He continuing to doubt that they were in love with him with such obvious evidence 100% confirmed Kotori's suspicions.

Her brother's density was only a by-product of his low self-esteem.

And there was also that weird promise that Tohka made him to make about kissing her every time he kissed another spirit. Once she recovered from her wounds after the DEM incident, she soon claimed another kiss when she realized that Miku's powers had been sealed.

Unconsciously, Kotori's eyes settled on Shidou's lips. Now that she remembered, it had been months since Shidou kissed her to re-seal her powers.

Her fingers landed on her lips as she remembered the sensation. Although the only reason her dense Onii-chan kissed her was to save her, she still remembered the comforting warmth she felt at the time.

She was proud that her Onii-chan was the one who received her first kiss, and was almost certain that she had gotten his first kiss that day five years ago.

A small moral victory that made her hopes that her wish would come true did not fade, even though her rivals on this battlefield were really tough.

By this point, Kotori's cheeks had turned crimson red again, and by the time she emerged from her spiral of thought, her face was too close to Shidou's.

Her thoughts then became a mess. One part of her wanted to retreat and let out a shriek as she touched her cheeks, while the other encouraged her to go ahead and press her lips against Shidou's. And that last part of her consciousness was the strongest of the two.

Actually, it wouldn't hurt if she gave him a kiss, would it?

The spirits were always monopolizing Shidou for themselves, and with her work as commander of Fraxinus, the time that Kotori could be with her Onii-chan and do family things was almost nonexistent.

Now that she could be alone with Shidou, even under these circumstances, she could afford to be selfish for once, couldn't she?

Kotori closed her eyes and lowered her head to seal her lips with Shidou's...

However, her body froze halfway through hearing a creak made by the door of the room moving slightly.

The commander of Fraxinus immediately raised her head to face the door, and found a view that gave her goose bumps.

A pair of silver eyes watched her intently, while a cheeky smile adorned the lips of a certain idol.

"Miku... why are you still here?" Kotori decided to ask, although she sensed that what she was about to hear was not going to be pleasant.

"Oh, don't worry about me, Kotori-san. Pretend I'm not here and continue what you were doing."

A drop of sweat slid down Kotori's forehead. "You were supposed to go to play with the other spirits, weren't you?"

"Ara?" Upon hearing that answer, Miku took a hand to her mouth and let out a surprised voice. However, her expression only became more disturbing for Kotori. "Oh my, looks like Mana-chan was right and you want to monopolize Darling for yourself. I see that you are also a bad girl~"

"Y-you're wrong! T-this is not what you are thinking! I was... err... taking the temperature to Shidou! Yeah, that's it!"

Kotori said the first excuse that crossed her mind, but her blush and stammering didn't help.

"You don't have to hide it from me, Kotori-san. In fact, I support you. I wouldn't mind Darling having an harem. Besides, if I kissed Darling after Kotori-san kissed him, that would also be an indirect kiss with you."

At the end of her line, Miku licked her lips. Feeling that she was being devoured with the gaze, Kotori leapt to the side instinctively to put as much distance as possible between her and the perverted idol.

"Hey Miku, what are you doing that you're not coming?"

It was then that Tohka entered the room, and found the scene between Kotori and Miku.

"Mu?" She bowed her head in confusion. "What's going on here?"

Before Kotori could explain, Miku beat her to it. "Oh, Kotori-san here had a great idea to wake up Shidou. As in fairy tales, perhaps a kiss can awaken him from his deep sleep. Why don't you give it try, Tohka-san?"

"Huh!? A ki-kiss!?"

More shouts of surprise were heard than the one that should have been heard. That was because behind Tohka had entered Yoshino and the Yamai sisters.

Kotori looked at Miku in shock, and didn't need to have telepathic abilities to guess what the idol was thinking.

She wanted everyone to kiss Shidou so that when she was going to kiss him, that would imply an indirect kiss with everyone!

"O-ok! I'll go first!"

Tohka, despite her blush, showed more enthusiasm than usual. She quickly approached Shidou's unconscious figure with the intention of pressing her lips against his.

But, before she could, two pairs of hands pulled Shidou's legs, taking him to the other side of the bed and causing Tohka to kiss the pillow instead.

"Kuku, you are too naive, my familiar!" Kaguya confident on hrt victory spoke as she brought Shidou's face closer to hers.

"It is time to perform a magical energy transfusion so that Shidou will be back with all his power..."

But the closer their lips came, Kaguya began to blush and hesitate. Taking advantage of this opening, her identical-faced sister snatched Shidou from her hands.

"Amusement. Kaguya is too shy. Let your big sister give you a demonstration."

Yuzuru proceeded to kiss Shidou without hesitation, but something stood between her lips and those of her beloved.

"Surprise. Huh?"

Her lips had settled on the head of a rabbit puppet who was making bizarre movements.

"Yaw, I didn't know Yuzuru-chan had such feelings for Yoshinon. But, that aside, this is your chance, Yoshino!"

The aquamarine blue-haired girl wasted no time and grabbed Shidou with her free hand to bring him closer to her. Although her cheeks looked redder than Kotori's hair, the look in her eyes was full of determination.

But, Tohka wasn't going to make it easy for her, and she started pulling Shidou's arm. That evolved into a contest to see who could pull Shidou out of the other's hands. None of the spirits seemed willing to give in.

"Ugh..." The anguished voice of the poor golden-eyed teenager was what finally managed to stop the spirits.

"Oh, Shidou! At last you have awakened-"

The enthusiasm of the girls to see him return to his senses vanished before the sight of his pale and almost sickly face.

"I don't feel so good..."

That caused Kotori to come out of her stupor, and the temperature in the room began to rise several degrees.

"What have I told you about not bothering Onii-chan! Go play in your apartment at once!"

The five girls ran out of the room, too scared of Kotori to care about Shidou.

* * *

**And that's it for now. What do you think? A harem protagonist's life is r****eally hard.**

**The "stew" part is directly inspired by the first chapter of the third season of the Date a Live anime. Although, those who saw that chapter will know that in this story things ended in a totally opposite way.**

**Seriously, they expect me to believe that gunk tasted good? There's no way that's anything but poison with that ominous color and smoke.**

**Anyway, moving on to other themes, the scene of King of Fakers trolling Gilgamesh with the visual novel was planned for quite some time. And that scene led to a pretty important conversation.**

**Shidou's explanation of how he ended up like this is incomplete because, well, he's not omniscient. But those who have read the original story should be able to fill in the gaps easily. As for the concept of "genes of the soul", the explanation of what that is, is given by Rin in the True Ending of the Heaven's Feel route. In particular it is the reason why when Shirou's soul received the miracle of the Third Magic and was able to control an artificial body, this body looked exactly like his original body.**

**One of the few things that always seemed odd to me from the original story is that the clues to solving the mystery of "Phantom's" identity and Shidou's past were always there, but no one put the pieces together. It wasn't until the thing hit them in the face, almost literally, that the mystery wasn't solved.**

**But well, I recently finished reading the last volume of Date a Live's light novel. I shed some tears, but that may also be because I was listening to the OST called "New dawn 2" while reading. That soundtrack plays at the end of each route of the visual novel "Fate/Stay Night", so it hits me in the feelings every time I hear it.**

**What I'm getting at here is that I at long last have the overall script for the story in mind, although it's susceptible to change, and that includes what I'm going to do with Mayura. Yes, I finally decided to include the events of "Date a Live: Mayuri judgement," and as it can't be otherwise, King of Fakers will save Mayuri.**

**The reason, I read a certain special volume called "Mayuri around" which was about an hypothetical "what if Mayuri didn't disappeared", and that also hit me in the feelings.**

**However, she will have a rather important role in the story later on. She will not be just an addition to Shidou's "what harem?".**

**The next chapter will be the second interlude before the film. Since this chapter focused on the "Fate side", the next chapter will be more about the girls' point of view, and their impressions of the dream cycle and the visual novel.**

**Finally, as always, I would like to hear your opinions, and I hope I have entertained you. My next update will be an interlude of my other story as the poll was close.**

**With this I say goodbye for now. Until we meet again!**


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